Big gambles

Thursday was a night full of risk-taking and some of these people didn't know when to fold. Here's what happened:

"Survivor" (CBS, 8:00): I told my best friend Jeff that this was the best season of "Survivor" ever to which he replied, "You said the same thing about last season. You say that every season." That just goes to show that even in it's 19th season, "Survivor" manages to bring something new and exciting every year. This season, that excitement comes in the form of a man named Russell.

I know I say it every week, but it bears repeating: I can't believe I'm pulling for a guy I absolutely detested in week one. He has stolen the crown for 'outwit' and will probably skate through to the end. No one else in Samoa is playing the game as hard as he is, and I'm actually impressed at the things he's managed to pull off. Who got the brunt of his conniving ways tonight? I'll tell you that later. First, lets talk about "Survivor Auction"!

Along with the dreaded eat-gross-stuff challenge, the auction is one of the highlights of each season - $500 and no sharing money or food! I think I have figured out the best strategy for playing this game: Bid half your money on the first item, which is usually some sort of food. There's no guarantee that you'll get something better in a later round or that they will reveal what's under the cover. Even better, save your money for that one item that pertains to the game. You never know what kind of advantage you can get from those clues. Jai'son was smart to spend his money on that immunity advantage. It ultimately helped him win safety at Tribal Council. And even though John bid on a clue to the hidden immunity idol that Russell had already found, it still helped him confirm that someone had it. Pause it: Call me crazy, but I wouldn't bid on food items when I'm already starving. Getting a taste of food then going back to bugs and fish would turn my stomach inside out.

At Tribal Council, Shambo was determined the get Dave voted off after he confronted her about her chicken-cooking skills. She's becoming quite the loose cannon and former Foa Squared members would be wise to cut her loose before she does them in. Russell persuades his group to go against her and get rid of John since John now knows he has the hidden idol. Score one more for Russell as John goes down in the 4th blindside. The look on his face was priceless! Well, maybe it was worth the money he spent on that clue! Have fun at jury duty, idiot!

"The Office" (NBC, 9:00): I love me some "Office," Lord knows I do. But tonight's episode crossed the line with a joke that was far worse than anything they have ever done on this show. Ten years ago, Michael promised a bunch of third graders that if they graduated from high school, he would pay their college tuition. Cut to 10 years later and "Scott's Tots" are all ready to matriculate, but Michael Scott isn't quite the millionaire he thought he would be by age 30 ... or 40. "I've made some empty promises in my life, but hands down, this was my most generous," says Michael.

So instead of receiving the college tuition they had worked so hard for, Michael gives them batteries for a laptop (lithium, of course). How cruel is that? As someone who volunteers at a school full of minority students, it was hard watching these kids heap praise on Michael then have him dash their hopes of being college students. Yes, they countered it at the end with the stat that "Scott's Tots" had a higher retention level than other kids, but still ... it was a bad storyline.

CHANNEL SURFING
There is no way anyone can eat and watch "Bones" (FOX, 8:00) at the same time. In their defense, they did warn me there was graphic content, but I had to put my spoon down when the flesh started falling off that body. But I don't know what was worse: the fleshless body or the glorified promo for the movie "Avatar". I know it's from 20th Century Fox, but c'mon guys! Enough with the self-promotion! This is "Bones", not "American Idol"!!! FYI: The lab tech guy is in the movie, so I'm sure they are just proud of their co-star.

Playing catch up

Since God won't allow me 28 hours in a day, I have to wait until the weekends to talk about some of my favorite shows that I missed earlier in the week. Let's get to it!

"Bones" (FOX, Thurs., 8:00): Bones and Booth are on the case after human remains are found on a railroad track. Tests indicate the teen male was from the 1800s. Turns out he was just Amish. Levi was a piano prodigy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, killed by a petty thief in a robbery gone awry. I've watched this show from it's conception, and I think this is the first time a murder was deemed random. Pause it: Does technology really work that way? If it did, wouldn't all cases be solved in a matter of days? All those fancy gadgets that triangulate a sound to find an architectural marker in an isolated part of the city? I want one of those!

Interesting things I learned about the Amish:
1. When they turn 18, they go on Rumspringa. It's like our version of Spring Break only they get to choose if they want to go home at the end. Maybe less girls would end up on "Girls Gone Wild" if they knew they would be excommunicated when they returned home.
2. They don't play musical instruments. They didn't really explain why, but I assume they have a good reason.
Funny bone: Clark, the lab assistant, after hearing Cam and Angela talking about teen sex: "Working here is like being on 'The View'."

For my friend Raquel ...
"Trauma" (NBC, Mon., 9:00): OK, I'm sold! For those of you who are suffering from medical drama withdrawal, "Trauma" is "ER" on steroids! OMG! This show had me at minute 7 when two helicopters collide and come raining down on the paramedics who had just saved the burn victim passenger. It was such a heart pounder I had to watch it twice. Talk about a shot of epi! Pause it: Other TV shows, take note. That is how you open a show!

Cut to one year later: Flight medic Rabbit, the only crash survivor, returns to work on the anniversary of what was the worst medical air disaster in San Francisco history. MD-turned-paramedic Nancy is still nursing the wounds of losing her lover Terry in the crash. And Boone, played by Derek Luke, may or may not have cheated on his wife the night of the accident. I'm intrigued by his story because it's obvious he's got some deep emotional scars from the event. You've got drama and trauma all rolled into one great show. I may have to drop "Gossip Girl" for this one.

I hope the show is able to sustain the action. Was it a one-hit wonder or might we have a new "ER" on our screens?

Law & Order: SVU (NBC, Wed., 9:00): Here's the law: Detectives Benson and Stabler are called to a case that takes them to the underbelly of Internet dating. Eric McCormack ("Will & Grace") plays Vince, the owner of a social networking site that hooks up sugar daddies with sugar babies. He ends up falling for one of the hotties and she ends up dead, naked and stuffed in a suitcase. Now comes the order: Vince is arrested and charged with her murder after an employee turns on him. It's revealed that his daughter was the actual culprit.

I really hate that NBC moved this show to Wednesday nights. It's stacked up against some pretty stiff competition: awesome newcomers "Glee" and "Modern Family" and time-slot powerhouse "Criminal Minds". Of the three, it's the best of the "Law & Order" franchise, so for NBC to risk its fan base is really careless. On the other hand, I solved the law long before they even made it to the order. I'll be leaving this one in the "watch it later" column.
Worth a chuckle: Det. Benson to two men fighting over who discovered the body first: "Girls, girls! You're both pretty."