Things Epic Games should add to Fortnite

Yes, another Fortnite post.  I've been thinking of a lot of things that could be added to the great game that is Fortnite: Battle Royale.  From vehicles to weapons to items, the possibilities are almost endless.  What hasn't been added to the game yet that could be?  Any Epic Games employees that on the off chance may read this: Please consider these!  Thanks!

Vehicles
Hovercrafts - With the addition of Slurpy Swamp, Hovercrafts would be perfect for that area.  They'd be perfect over any water area, but would work well on land too.  They could be in addition to or replace boats.  They could hopefully seat an entire squad if need be.

Jet Ski's - Again, with water vehicles, you might think of Jet Ski's.  These could seat two players.  The driver would be allowed to shoot but only when not on the gas (Similar to with swimming, you can only shoot when stationary).  What would be cool is to have a player with a grappler be able to water ski behind the jet ski.  They could also implement this with boats.

Snow Mobiles - Next Christmas season when the map undoubtedly gets blanketed with an entire layer of snow, that would be a great time to introduce Snow Mobiles.  They would work just like Jet Ski's, but on land.  And they would go faster over snow terrains than anything else.

Motorcycles - Another two-person vehicle idea is a motorcycle.  These would work like snow mobiles but be a bit faster and get more air off jumps.  I would love to see another vehicle in the game capable of getting serious airtime, and players could try to set high scores with stunts.  As for the appearance of the Fortnite motorcycle, I was thinking something like the motorcycle from the game "The Operative: No One Lives Forever", as seen here.

Items/Weapons
Bear Traps - This would be a seriously devilish item.  You would place them down and, knowing some smart players, they could probably disguise them pretty well.  Then, if an enemy player steps over it, they get caught.  This item drains their health (not shield) 50 HP over 5 seconds (10 HP a second), and traps them in that time as well.  But after that five seconds, they get to free themselves.  But if they step in another, which there very well could be right in front of you, the same thing happens (which would then kill them unless they healed in between).  This could really hurt a player's chances, especially if they step in one in the storm.  One cool thing they could possibly implement is if you're able to spot it before stepping in it, you can pick it up and set it yourself.

Shuriken/Throwing Stars - Just Google an image of Shuriken if you don't know what they look like.  You could carry maybe a stack of ten.  Imagine throwing five of these in a manner of 3 seconds and taking perhaps close to 100 HP off of your opponent.  If they ever have a ninja themed season, this is a must.  It would also be cool to be able to reclaim any Shuriken/Throwing Stars if they miss an enemy.

Bear Bombs: This could be changed a bit, but my idea is a stuffed teddy bear that you can set up.  It looks a lot like the other stuffed teddy bears in the game, with some subtle differences.  If an enemy gets too close, it explodes and does a ton of damage.  This could be something else in disguise, but imagine setting one of these up in a crowded POI.  In order for this to not be too overpowered, it could start beeping like a bomb a few seconds before it goes off.

Targeting Beacon - I don't have the best name for it, but this item would be a one time use (or 2-3) and would tell you for a few seconds where all of the enemies are.  They would display as red outlines and/or be displayed as red dots on the map.  This may be an item only included in Team Rumble or 50 vs 50 (if that ever comes back).

Edit: They introduced a flare gun, which pretty much is how I described my "targeting beacon".   There's one thing they included!

Portable Slurp Showers: This isn't my idea, as I saw it on Reddit a while back.  Basically, it's the Slurp version of campfires.  They would get stored in the spot where traps go, and you could set one up anywhere and it would slowly heal your health/shield, just like standing in Slurpy Swamp does.  They would last for 100HP probably, and steam would rise from it, just like smoke rises from campfires.  Alternatively, this could be called "Shield Showers" and work the same way, but only for shield.

Shield Kegs were added in Chapter 3, and it's fairly close to what I described.  They don't go in the trap slot and don't have to be placed on a build, but they do incrementally heal your shield just like a campfire does for health.  

Portable Zip Lines: This may not be possible to implement, but imagine pointing at a spot on a mountain and the end of a zip line gets shot there, and from where you are standing, you're able to use the zip line to go up the mountain without having to use any materials.  You might say this sounds like a grappler, but this would have a much further range, could only be used once, and could be used by enemy players unless you destroyed it.  Basically, it would be you, the player, setting up a zipline, and possibly allowing other players to use it.  If either end of this portable zip line was on a build that got destroyed, the devs could decide if either the zip line gets destroyed, or it just falls down.

Other
Gold Material - I thought with all of the gold teasers for Chapter 2, Season 2 that Fortnite might be introducing a fourth material, gold.  Muselk even did a video on using only materials from gold items, thinking the same thing.  I think it would be cool if Epic added a fourth material even stronger than metal, and gold would be a good option.  Diamond would be another option if they wanted to go that route.  But this fourth material would be even harder to find than metal, and its builds would be even stronger than metal.  To see a player spamming gold builds would just make anyone's jaw drop.

That's all I have for now, but if I think of anything else I will be sure to add it here.

Top 10 Celebrities I'd Realistically Like to see on the Masked Singer

The Masked Singer has become a hit TV show, one I got myself into and have seen every episode of.  I generally enjoy singing competitions, but the identity of each masked person is really the reason to watch the show.  My favorite performer won Season 1, in which the Monster turned out to be T-Pain.  My favorite performer of Season 2 was the Rottweiler AKA Chris Daughtry, but he finished as the runner up.  So far in this third season, I've only seen two of the three groups, and my favorite is either the Turtle or the Kitty.

Which led me to thinking, which celebrities would I most like to see on the show?  Now we're never gonna see huge A-List celebrities like Taylor Swift, Dwayne Johnson, Beyonce, or Oprah.  But here are some common traits I've noticed in a lot of the celebrity performers so far:

- Being a parent
A lot of the celebrity performers have done the show for their kids, namely Tony Hawk, Lil Wayne, Chris Daughtry, and Ricki Lake.  If a celebrity is a parent of kids under the age of 18, there's a good chance.

- A celebrity that's laid back, likes to do fun competition-type things
Most celebrities on TMS have been fun people who like to just go out and have fun themselves, such as Drew Carey.  They don't consider themselves above doing such things.

- Has something to prove, musically or performance-wise
Whether's it's that they still got it, or that they're capable of rapping and singing, or that they're capable of being on a stage and letting their voice be heard, each has had something to prove.

So which celebrities fulfill these (generally) qualities that I would love to see?  Heck, perhaps one or two of these are on Season 3 and just haven't been revealed yet.  Generally, these are celebrities that have connections to the judging panel or the host, Nick Cannon, but not always.

10. Cobie Smulders
I have her so low because I don't think she would do this show, but I'm not positive.  She does have two daughters, one of which is 10 and might watch the show.  I'd want her on because of her connection to Nicole Scherzinger.  On How I Met Your Mother, they played former singing partners.  I would just love to see Nicole's reaction to Cobie.  And Cobie can kind of sing, as we heard her do on that show as "Robin Sparkles".

9. Yvette Nicole Brown
Of course the main reason I'd want her to do TMS is because of her connection to Ken Jeong through the show "Community".  She also does have a talented singing voice.  It can be heard on a few episodes of Drake and Josh, where she played the theater manager they worked at.  She doesn't have kids that I know of, but that wouldn't stop her.

8. Jim Carrey
A-List celebrity?  Perhaps.  But we know his stage presence would be on point.  And being Jenny McCarthy's ex would make it interesting to see her reaction.  He's one of my favorite celebrities, and with him not really doing A-List movies anymore, it wouldn't shock me.  If you do a Google search for "Jim Carrey singing", you can see he is not uncomfortable at all with singing in front of people.  Perhaps he wants to prove that singing is one of his talents.

7. Amanda Bynes
Hear me out.  Yes, she's been out of the spotlight for a long time.  But what if she wanted to prove something?  She's been sober for at least four years now, and what a way it would be to come back into Hollywood, if she wanted to.  She was in Hairspray in 2007, so she can hold a tune.  Her long-time connection to Nick Cannon through All That make her unmasking maybe one of the best ever.  Nick's reaction would be priceless.  She said she's retired from acting, but TMS isn't acting, it's singing.

6. Brittany Snow
Brittany is currently starring on a TV show called "Almost Family", which by the way, is on FOX, same as TMS.  She does have some singing talent as she was in Hairspray and the Pitch Perfect trilogy.  Finally, she does have a connection to one of the TMS panelists, Jenny McCarthy.  Jenny played her mom in the film "John Tucker Must Die".  I would love to see Brittany on the show, especially since I used to have a huge crush on her.

5. Bow Wow
Formerly "Lil Bow Wow", Bow Wow would be an interesting addition on TMS.  In terms of Hip Hop artists, they've had T-Pain and Lil Wayne, so Bow Wow would not be a stretch.  He has supposedly retired from rapping, but perhaps he wants one more crack at performing on a stage?
Comment: Bow Wow was actually on The Masked Singer as the Frog!  I definitely liked his performances.

4. Whoopi Goldberg
We know she can sing, and Whoopi may want to prove she's still got it.  She's no stranger to appearing on crazy shows, as she guested on "Whose Line Is It Anyway" before.  She would definitely get one of the best reactions from the panel, despite not being closely tied to any of them.

3. Kevin McHale
We know he can sing from his time on Glee, but what we didn't get to see too much of on Glee were his dance moves.  Playing a paraplegic, it's kind of hard to show off your dance moves, aside from one fantasy sequence.  But Kevin was quoted by many as being one of the best dancers on the show.  Like Whoopi, he was on WLIIA, so being on TMS wouldn't be too far of a stretch.

2. Weird Al Yankovic
The dude is a legend, and he would fit in perfectly on TMS.  He has done a parody version of one of Robin Thicke's songs, Blurred Lines, called "Word Crimes".  And he's already been guessed by Robin to be one of the singers, but he wasn't.  So imagine Robin's surprise when a singer turns out to be Weird Al and Robin doesn't guess him.

1. Bryan Cranston
First off, Bryan is just one of the coolest dudes ever.  Secondly, he does have a small background in the vocal arts as he's done a few Broadway shows.  He wouldn't win TMS, but he could get surprisingly far.  He's definitely willing to do entertainment of all types, from shows to plays to commercials.  Doing a singing competition would check one more box off that list for him.

Rob Manfred and Roger Goodell are ruining their sports

My two favorite sports are baseball and football.  Basketball used to be up there, but ever since Seattle lost the Sonics, I've not watched it quite as much.  But I have been an avid fan of baseball and football my entire life, and I've got to say, I have not liked what the two commissioners of the two biggest sports leagues I follow have done. 

First, let's start with Rob Manfred.  First, he got rid of the four pitch intentional walk.  Never again will we see a wild pitch intentional walk, or an intentional ball being hit for a base hit.  That didn't need to change.  There's rumors he wants to change the baseball playoffs even more.  He's already added a second wild card team, which was extremely unnecessary.  It just reduces the importance of the regular season.  Baseball now has a total of 10 playoff teams, and I know Manfred wants to add more.  It has enough.  And this is coming from a Mariners fan that hasn't experienced the playoffs in 19 years.  I don't want the Mariners to make the playoffs at 83-79 as the sixth best team in the A.L.  I also don't want a see a team barely above .500 make it to the League Championship Series, or do I daresay it, the World Series. 

But the worst thing Manfred has done (or should I say, hasn't done), is not punishing the Astros players for the sign-stealing scandal.  The Houston Astros were caught red-handed stealing signs and relaying them to the hitters through audio signals.  The coaches and front office and organization were punished, although some feel not punished harshly enough.  Frankly, he should have stripped the Astros of their 2017 World Series title, because they obtained it unfairly.  He referred to the title as "taking a piece of metal away from them", which goes to show how little he knows about competitive sports.  And then there's the players, whom he did not punish.  Not one.  None of them spoke up when this was going on.  They all allowed this to happen, and they took advantage of other teams.  I know why Manfred didn't punish them.  It's because they are the reasons fans go to games, watch on TV, and buy merchandise.  He suspends players like Altuve, Correa, Alex Bregman, and George Springer, and the profits plummet.  Now, he's threatening to suspend pitchers for targeting Astros players, so in the end those pitchers who retaliate would get punished, but not the cheaters.  Ok. 

Then there's NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.  The fans already hate him.  I don't hate him, but my disdain for him grows with every unnecessary change he makes.  The one change that hasn't officially happened yet, but would make me jump on the Goodell Hate Train, is adding another playoff team.  There's strong consideration that a 7th playoff team will be added for each league.  One, the logistics for that sound way too complicated.  Two, it over-saturates the playoffs.  The seventh team would have a record of 9-7 or even 8-8 on occasion.  A lot of teams at 9-7 or 8-8 have no business competing for a Super Bowl.  I don't want to see the 8-8 New York Jets have a chance at the Super Bowl, or the 9-7 Cowboys as a Wild Card have a shot.  The teams that win their division, with two exceptions per league, should be the ones competing for a Super Bowl.  Three is too many. 

I hate that these commissioners are making these changes.  It's all because of money and making more of it.  I've already stopped being a fan of one sports league because my favorite team of theirs stopped existing.  If the postseasons of these leagues become too saturated, I will not support them by watching them.  I don't even watch the MLB Wild Card games, unless the AL one is an intriguing matchup.  But if too many changes happen to try to make more money, I won't look back as I stop watching these sports leagues altogether. 

Companies I Refuse to Do Business With (And past experiences with them)

As you go through life, you're bound to do business with many companies.  And unfortunately, not every single one will give you great service.  I'm going to talk about a few companies I've bought things from or done business with, but now I refuse to anymore because of a bad experience I had.  Of course, a recent one is what inspired me to do this post.

Best Buy
I've been in a Best Buy since my bad experience, but I haven't bought much since.  Maybe something like a CD that was on sale.  But I mostly try to avoid the place. 

I had gotten a PC game from my parents for either my birthday or Christmas (they're close together, so it's hard to distinguish sometimes).   That PC game was Star Wars: The Old Republic.  I tried to load it on my PC, and it technically worked, but it was so slow and there was just no way I could enjoy it.  Therefore, I went to Best Buy with my dad to try to return it.

Now here's where it gets interesting.  They would not let us return it (because it was "open"), not even for store credit.  I know we were in the right, as their return policy stated so long as it was within the time period, which it was.  They explained how we very easily could have made a copy of it or something, and my dad just exploded.  I had never seen him yell at strangers like that before.  I think the part where they borderline accused us of trying to scam them was what made my dad mad.  In the end, my dad said he wouldn't do business with them anymore, although I think he's been back to a Best Buy since then (although not as much, like me).

I ended up selling the game online for a bit of a loss and shipping it away.  It was better than holding onto it for no reason, because I was never going to play it.

Car Toys
The unfortunate thing with Car Toys is that there's not really any other business around the area that does what they do.  They install car stereos, speakers, alarm systems, any car accessories.  I originally had a pretty decent experience with them when they installed the car alarm on my car.

However, in recent years, their service has greatly lacked.  I can't remember what exactly happened with my sister's car, but she had her stereo taken out of her old car (because her car was basically totaled), and they I think ended up damaging a part of the speakers and claiming they didn't do anything to damage them.

But more recently, I bought the stereo and speaker system from my dad, who then said I could take it to Car Toys to get it installed.  They were pretty darn unprofessional about it.  It's hard to remember exactly what they did wrong, but they first said they'd be able to install a type of speaker called tweakers, but then afterward they said they couldn't.

I do remember that my stereo was having major trouble connecting to the speakers and kept displaying an error message and I wouldn't be able to listen to music.  I had to go back and get them to fix it.  I think I ended up approaching them four separate times to get them to fix something.

Fortunately, they finally got it to work.  I have a cable that's sticking out inside my glove box that wasn't before, which is oddly a USB plug-in.  I just know that every time either me or my dad has gone to Car Toys for service recently, it's been a huge headache.  HUGE.

The Bradford Exchange
This was the most recent one.  I saw a Mickey Mouse limited edition coin in a catalog I wanted to get my grandma for Christmas, but on the catalog's website they were sold out.  So I looked online for another place to purchase it and found The Bradford Exchange.

I purchased it for about 40 bucks and got it in the mail a few weeks later.  Over a month after that, I received a giant display case and another coin in the mail from them.  I went to check my bank statement and saw two charges of 25 bucks on there.  Apparently, I had enrolled in a subscription with them, even though at no point in the checkout process did they say I was doing that.

I then got shipped a third coin just a week ago or so, and another charge on my card appeared.  I have emailed them many, many times.  The time I was trying to return this third coin, I was told a barcode that came with it would work as a return label.  It did not.  I had to ask three or four times for them to send me a return label until they did.

They also say on their website that the return and refund won't be processed until close to a month after they receive it.  For an item I purchased for Christmas, I won't be able to receive a refund until April at best.  And right now, I'm constantly checking the status of the shipment back to them, and the first display case hasn't been updated in over a week.

I left them a 2/5 star review on ConsumerAffairs.com, only to see everyone else has rated them a ONE star.  They may have high quality gifts, but they suck at business.

Honda of Kirkland
I have to point out the location because I doubt every Honda dealership is like this.  I purchased my Civic from them years ago.  I've taken it in to them twice for a service since then.  The first time, they supposedly found something like a hole or that my fan belt needed to be replaced; I can't remember.  But I ended up paying much more than I thought. 

The next time I took it there because I had no other choice.  My girlfriend borrowed my car from my work's parking lot (which is across the street from this Honda), and when she got back the steering started acting up.  I asked my parents for advice, and my dad took it to the closest repair place, which was this Honda dealership.  I don't remember exactly what they said was wrong with it, but my parents suggested taking it elsewhere for a second opinion.  I had it towed to a Midas, and they gave me a different answer and told me it would cost much less.  So I ended up having Midas fix it and not Honda.

In other words, I think this dealership does whatever they can to earn more money, at least in their service department.  I refuse to go there, even when they mail me coupons for services like oil changes.

Survivor Winners at War: Weekly Reviews!

The first episode of Survivor: Winners at War aired last night, and it's every bit of good Survivor we need.  It's got a great mix of old and new school players.  I'm going to go over the episode with my thoughts, and then I'll pick a player of the episode (POTE), a player to watch out for (PTWOF), and a player who was invisible (PWWI).  I'll also add a funniest or standout moment (may not be from the actual episode).  Then I'll summarize and talk about next week.

Episode 14: Congratulations to Tony Vlachos, the second two-time winner of Survivor!  He played a great game, and it was clear from shortly after the merge that he was in control.  Unfortunately, he was almost taken out by Natalie, who was the first person voted out, but she "earned" her way back in to the game.  More on that later.  Michele also makes it to the end, and I feel, as well as everyone on Reddit, that she deserved at least one vote.  She at least outlasted many tribal councils, unlike Natalie.

POTE: Tony Vlachos
Is there any question?  It would be absurd to give it to anyone else.  It's like giving the Super Bowl MVP to someone on the losing team.  He won an immunity challenge and he won the crucial fire-making challenge, which in the end netted him the $2 million.  If only he had found the idol instead of Natalie, but that was the only thing he "failed" on.

There won't be any more episodes (obviously), so there's no point in doing a Player To Watch Out For or a Player Who Needs To Step Up.  Instead, I will hand out different awards, sort of like an end of season award ceremony.

Most loyal player: Sarah Lacina
She demonstrated loyalty time and time again.  I don't recall an instance where she turned on someone.  She stuck with Tony until the end, and she had stuck with Sophie until Sophie got voted out.  Lacina sure would've given Tony a run for his money if she had made it to the end with him.

Most likable: Yul Kwon
What's not to like?  I've yet to meet a fan that was happy he got voted out.  It's too bad he didn't get another shot.  Him raising awareness for Penner's wife Stacey and her battle with ALS was inspiring.  He's already done so much for them, and it's awesome to see. 

Funniest player: Adam Klein
This guy is a hoot.  From his paranoia to him trying to take a fleur-de-lis off Jeff's podium, Adam sure was a good source of laughs this season.  He's one of the select few from this season I could see playing one more time.

Funniest/stand out moment: Tony and Sarah's tearful goodbye
Going back to the original segments, the stand out moment for me was not funny, but heart-wrenching.  It was when Tony beat Sarah at the fire-making challenge and their tearful goodbyes to one another.  I don't know if we've ever seen a friendship on the show quite like theirs. 

Problems with Edge of Extinction
Now I know why they brought EoE back (and maybe why they started it in season 38), it was to have the winners stay on the show even after they get voted out.  But there are a ton of flaws with its concept, and the vast majority of Survivor fans hope it is never used again.  Here's why it failed this season:

- The first person voted out got an unfair advantage over players who outlasted them in the actual game
Natalie got an advantage over other players because she had more time to learn the island, more time to gather fire tokens and advantages, and she had more time to bond with the people on the Edge.  Whereas players voted out later, such as Jeremy and Nick, had no advantages in the challenge to get back in the game.  They should have just as good of opportunity, if not better, than players voted out early. 

- People in better shape physically were at a huge advantage
The majority of the challenges to get fire tokens on the Edge involved physical ability, such as retrieving logs or coconuts, or climbing to the top of the mountain/island.  Players like Natalie were able to stockpile their fire tokens as a result.  Also, the two challenges to get back in the game involved a bit of physical ability as well.  This is why players like Amber, Danni, and Ethan never had a shot once they got voted out.  Natalie had so many fire tokens from those endurance challenges that she was able to buy three advantages in the challenge to get back in the game, as well as idols for herself and Tyson.  Unreal. 

- Players on the Edge don't have to survive tribal council and get to scoot on by
This is the part I hate most.  Once you get voted out, you should be out of the game.  Instead, Natalie, who was first voted out, got back in the game with an idol.  She then found another idol and won an immunity challenge.  She was only vulnerable to be voted out at one tribal council, and she did get voted out.  Thank goodness she didn't win, because it would be a travesty if the only player not to survive a single tribal council while vulnerable won the game. 

How to fix Edge of Extinction:
Well, get rid of it.  But if the producers absolutely insist on using it again (please God no), there are some ways to fix it:
- Fire tokens should not be accessible to players on the Edge.  They are technically out of the game, so they shouldn't be allowed to earn tokens.  On the original EoE season, there were no fire tokens.  You can still have them compete for advantages to give players still in the game.  Then, when the challenge comes up to get back in the game, the players in game could spend tokens on players they want back in the game, such as former allies.
- After the first challenge to get back in the game, the losers go home.  If that was the case, Natalie would not have been in the game after Tyson got back in.  That seems fair.  If you lose the first challenge to get back in, you go home, and EoE starts fresh with the next vote out. 
- Introduce a banishment challenge.  One advantage players in the game could compete for would be a banishment challenge.  They would select 2-4 players to compete in a challenge, with the loser(s) being sent home for good.  There would be some interesting strategies with this, such as picking a strong player you know will beat someone you want out.  Plus, players on the Edge would be at risk on occasion.
- Edge challenges that aren't physical, but mental.  They had some like that this season, but they all need to be like that.  Perhaps have a few where the players have to select teams.  Another good idea would be to have them host their own challenge, like we saw on One World a couple times.
 

Summary: Was this the "best season of Survivor", like Jeff called it?  I don't think so.  One, the Edge of Extinction tarnished this season.  Two, there were too many advantages to keep track of.  And three, the old school players were basically all picked off before the merge.  However, I'd still rank it Top 10, mainly due to the great cast of players, the great moments we got to see (loved ones!), and the fantastic gameplay we saw at times.  It's a shame this season has its flaws, but most do.  Even one of the greatest seasons of all time, Heroes vs. Villains, had its flaws, such as the Heroes getting picked off and doing worse than the villains.  But this is a season I would definitely watch again someday, especially since I know I could pick some more things up I may have missed.

Episode 13: The penultimate episode was two hours, but they only needed an hour and 15 minutes, as the last 10-15 minutes was a recap of the season (cue eye roll).  They better not do a recap in the finale episode next week.  Anyway, Tony and Sarah and Ben further solidified their alliance, voting out Jeremy and then Nick.  They used Nick and then voted him out.  Poor Nick, but he wasn't winning, anyway.  

POTE: Michele Fitzgerald
She may have lost her closest ally in Jeremy, but she won an immunity when she needed it most.  She also was successful in her 50-50 Idol advantage, although she was going to be safe regardless.  She helped Nick by contributing to the cost for an advantage, which was putting Ben at a disadvantage at the immunity challenge.  She was one of the people I thought had the worst chance of winning, now she's near the top for me.

PTWOF: Natalie Anderson
I have a bad feeling she is going to win the challenge to get back in the game.  She has an advantage in the challenge and she's the most physically fit person of anyone that was on the Edge.  And if she gets back in the game, she has an idol, which I assume is good for one vote.  And she spent time with everyone on the jury/edge, meaning she will get votes if she makes it to the end.  If there are Survivor gods, they will not let this happen.  Nothing against Natalie, but she was the first voted out.  It wouldn't be right.

PWNTSU: Ben Driebergen
I'll give him credit, he's trying.  He mentioned how no one has given him any tokens or given him an advantage.  If this season is a poker tournament, Ben has been dealing with crap hands all game long.  He needs to make his own luck somehow.  He will not be respected enough if Tony and Sarah drag him to the end.  If he wants to win, he will need to make a big move or two.

Funniest/stand out moment: Michele's cockiness and jokes
Yes, it's multiple moments, but for good reason.  Michele was on fire this episode.  Her dance after winning immunity was equal parts cute and funny.  Her line to Jeff that she needed immunity like he needs a blue button up and khakis was hilarious.  

Summary: Final episode coming up!  I'm stoked!  It should make for a very interesting final tribal council, no matter who gets there.  For this, I'm going to rank the remaining players on their likeliness of winning Survivor 40: Winners at War

6) Anyone from the Edge of Extinction: Sure, they will have bonded with the jury, but I'm hoping the jury will realize the winner should be someone that never got voted out in the first place.  My possible picks to win the challenge are Natalie, Tyson, Wendell, and Parvati.  In that order, I guess.
5) Ben: He hasn't made many friends and he is in Tony and Sarah's shadows at the moment.  Like I said, he needs to make a move or he won't be respected enough.
4) Sarah: If she gets to the end with Tony, I don't think she beats him.  But if she takes him out, she's got a shot.  
3) Michele: The jury will respect her game, but may not consider her a seasoned enough of a vet to be a two-time winner.
2) Denise: The dark horse.  She's good in front of a jury, she's likable, and she has the potential to beat anyone at the FTC.  
1) Tony: Mr. Winner's Edit.  It's clearly Tony's season.  If he makes it to the end, the jury will have no choice but to hand him the $2 million check.  

Predicted Final 3: I think Tony, Sarah, Ben, and Denise team up and vote out Michele first.  They know the person returning from the EOE will probably have an idol.  Then at 5, they vote out that person, whoever it is.  Then we will see a Final 4 fire-making challenge between Ben and Denise, with Ben winning.  So my predicted Final 3 is Tony's ideal final 3: Him, Sarah, and Ben.  With Tony winning.

The finale is less than a week away now, can't wait!  Let's hope for a win from Tony, Denise, Michele, Sarah, or Ben, and not someone from the Edge of Extinction.  PLEASE.




Episode 12: Tony is the kingpin now.  He somehow has managed to convince enough people to vote off Sophie and now Kim.  If those people who are voting with Tony let him get to the end with them, they will not win, he will.  Tony still has his idol, which we may see played next episode, although his biggest adversary in Kim is now gone. 

POTE: Denise Stapley
I was tempted to pick Tony yet again, but there was a second person who won immunity who I think also put herself in a really good position.  She was talking to Michele and Nick and they seemed to have formed a bond.  I remember telling my girlfriend that I could very well see that as the final three.  If that is the case, I think Denise wins.  Michele and Nick are likable, but we have to remember the jury will be deciding who will be considered one of the top all-time great Survivor players.  Could be Denise.

PTWOF: Ben Driebergen
I haven't talked about Ben a lot recently, but I feel like I should.  I think Ben is actually in a good position.  Jeremy and Tony are bigger threats than him, and Ben has proven he can win things late in a season.  Nick mentioned that he could beat Ben in a final three, but I don't think that is true.  I think Ben beats a lot of people, including Nick, Michele, and perhaps Tony.

PWNTSU: Rob Mariano
I haven't talked about players on the Edge in a while, either.  Rob hurt himself in the retrieving coconuts challenge for two fire tokens.  He needs to do better if he wants a shot at getting back in and winning.  The only other time the Edge of Extinction was used, the person who returned from the Edge won the season (Chris).  It could happen again, and Rob would be a good candidate for it.  But he needs to do more on the Edge while he's there.

Funniest/stand out moment: Tony getting pooped on by a bird
It was so random, and it is something easily cut from an episode, but I'm glad they included it.  I really liked how Ben said it was karma for voting out Sophie.  It was so random and unexpected, but well worth being in the episode.

Summary: We are down to the final 7.  The player whose season they won on that's the oldest is Denise.  Does that means she's next to go?  I tabbed her as one of my possible boots last week, but she wasn't even mentioned. 

Possible boots: Tony has his idol, and I don't see him holding onto it if he's vulnerable (no immunity necklace).  He cannot trust the word of three other people.  One, yes.  Two... maybe.  Three... can't risk it.  So Tony is not one of my possible boots.  My first is Michele.... she doesn't have enough close ties, and it would consider the string of strong women going.  My second pick is Ben.  Gut feeling again.  My third pick is Denise again.  Maybe they'll realize Denise is a threat to win next episode?

For this review and next week's as well, I'm going to rank the remaining players (not on the Edge) on their chances of winning:

1. Sarah - My pick to win at the start of the season.  She has Tony as a shield for as long as she wants.  If she gets to the end, she's got as good of a chance as anyone.

2. Tony - If he keeps this streak up of dominating the game with idols and challenges, the jury will have no choice.  Tony would be a good 2x winner of the game.  But the problem for him will be getting to the end of the game.

3. Ben - I probably have him ranked higher than most people would.  Ben's been a bit flaky and big-mouthed, but he's got a decent shot if he gets to the end.

4. Jeremy - Jeremy is a big threat to win if he gets to the end, and everyone in the game knows it.  That's why he's been the talk of the last 2 or 3 votes.  If he can somehow survive the votes until the finals, he's got as good of a shot as anyone.  He just needs to get there.

5. Denise - Denise could very well fly under the radar and win the whole thing.  It's actually hard to see her NOT doing well at the final tribal council if she gets there.  She's good at talking the jury up.

6. Michele - Michele is a big of a long shot, because of the people left in the game, I don't think she can beat two of them.  However, if she were to make it to the end with two big guys like Tony and Ben or Tony and Jeremy, those two guys might cancel each other out and Michele could claim a few votes.  But that's unlikely.

7. Nick - Sorry, Nick, but you're this season's cannon fodder, finale goat, etc.  You're a recent winner for one, so your legacy hasn't had time to build itself.  Secondly, you're not a dominating player really in any fashion, whether it be challenges, social game, or strategy.  I think Nick has a really good shot at making it to the end, but a very small shot of actually winning.  Nick beating Sarah, Tony, Denise, or Jeremy?  Ha!


Episode 11: Holy smokes, talk about dominating an episode!  From what I read, Tony set the record for most confessionals in a single episode of Survivor, which is amazing since this wasn't even a finale episode.  And to pay up for the extortion and then win immunity... wow.  He also executed a perfect blindside of Sophie.  Now he'll have fallout to deal with in the form of Sarah.  She did not look happy.

POTE: Tony Vlachos
For the first time I have to choose somebody twice in a row.  I won't always give my POTE to who wins immunity, but it certainly can be a big reason why.  If hypothetically the finals were to start now, I think the majority of the jury would give their votes to Tony.  So he's playing a great game, but perhaps too great of a game.  He has put a big target on his back.  And these are players that will not be ok with going to the end with him.

PTWOF: Sarah Lacina
She's going to be able to use Tony as a shield for as long as she can.  She was my pick to win at the start of the season.  But I also thought Tony would be a pre-merge boot.  Sarah will be upset in losing one of her closest allies in Sophie, so everyone else should watch out.  I got to say I also really liked her fashion show; showed a different side of her.

PWNTSU: Denise Stapley
She has been shockingly invisible these last few weeks.  The editors are not doing her any favors.  Could she make it to the end?  It seems amazing that the person who still has arguably made the best move in the game is not being talked about as a threat, and she is a mere afterthought right now.  She'll need to make another move or two to pad her resume enough to win the game.

Funniest/stand out moment: Tony finding out the extortion advantage was being used against him
Dude got so excited seeing an advantage he thought was gifted to him, only to find out it was being used against him.  His reaction was absolutely priceless and it made me laugh.

Summary: We're getting down to the nitty gritty!  I was getting worried that the men were getting picked off one by one, as Sophie is the first woman gone since Sandra.  Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see a woman win, but to have an all female final 5 would be a bit boring to me.  As would a final 5 of all men, I will add.

Possible boots: Well none of my boots went home, so I am going to try again!  My three this week... I hate to do it, but if Tony doesn't win immunity again he's a possibility.  Tony is my first choice.  My second choice is Jeremy.  He's still getting talked about.  My third choice.... I'll go with Denise.  Gut feeling, I guess.

Episode 10: I wish I wasn't right... again.  Tyson was one of my three picks for a possible boot and now he's gone... again.  If he gets back in the game again, he deserves to win.  The Poker Alliance of Tyson, Kim, and Jeremy reformed in this episode but to no avail.  That group also included Jeremy's ally Denise.  But it seems like the group of Sarah, Tony, Sophie, Nick, Ben (& Michele?) are now running the show.  Jeremy's advantage hurt his alliance and helped him at the same time, so it will be interesting to see what his alliance members say to him.  Kim misplaying her idol also cost them, and now she's in trouble.  And who could forget the loved one's visit, which every player got to experience?  It took up a bit of time, but it was worth it.

POTE: Tony Vlachos
Tony finally got his first individual immunity win in three seasons.  He also is solidified with Sarah in their alliance and players will likely target her before him.  I could see Tony making it far, but he might get picked off around F4 or 5.

PTWOF: Nick Wilson
Somehow, this dude went from losing all of his alliance to being in a good position.  He also went from my Player Who Needs to Step Up to my Player to Watch Out For.  No one is going to be targeting him, I think.  He may be seen as someone who could be taken to the end as he might not get a ton of votes, but he could surprise people.  He is a lawyer after all.

PWNTSU: Kim Spradlin-Wolfe
Kim and Nick swapped places.  Kim is now in a bad spot and the numbers are against her.  But I feel like if anyone can switch the numbers into their favor, Kim may be one of them.

Funniest/stand out moment: When Jeremy and Sarah each almost played their advantages.  It wasn't the funniest moment of the season, but it still got a laugh out of me.  We haven't really seen a stand-off like that at tribal council before, at least when it comes to playing unique advantages.

Summary: Again, another guy gets voted out.  Just like in Kim's season, the men are quickly disappearing from the actual game.  It would not surprise me if in a few weeks we were down to two men, give or take one.

Possible boots: My first pick next week is Kim, obviously.  She's a huge social and strategic threat, as well as a threat to win challenges.  My next pick may surprise, but I'm going with Ben.  He's fairly close with Sarah and Sophie, but they may turn on him for him being a threat.  My third pick is Jeremy, who is also against the numbers and a threat.

Episodes 8 and 9: I guess I missed the past week, but that was because I just moved and really didn't have time.  Anyway, we've seen Wendell and Adam get picked off, just like how Tony wants the "Hyenas" to get picked off.  I'm liking this season more and more as it goes on, despite the lack of old school players.  Thank goodness Tyson got back in and hasn't been picked off shortly after returning.

POTE: Tyson Apostol
Not only did he get back in the game, he's put himself in a good position.  His name did get floated around in the last episode, but he didn't receive any votes.  He'll potentially be a challenge threat later on, and hopefully the rest of the players don't realize that.

PTWOF: Kim Spradlin-Wolfe
She won immunity, and she won several immunities on her winning season, so she is a force to be reckoned with.  She may get pretty far, and if she does, she could very well win.  I've still yet to really hear her name come up as a possible vote.

PWNTSU: Nick Wilson
He needs to stop whining and just talk to people and get them on his side.  He needs to get people to see that he probably won't win if he gets to the end.  He needs to get on a lot of people's good side or he's a goner.

Funniest/stand out moment: Adam thinking the fleur-de-lis on Jeff's podium was an idol.  I don't blame Adam for thinking that at all, since it resembled a past idol.  But man, that was maybe the funniest moment of the season with Jeff and the jury's reactions.  Adam has been a source of comedic relief, that's for sure.

Summary: I've got a feeling Wendell and Adam's boots won't be the last of the men getting picked off.  I think the girls may end up getting together and picking them off, fearing that if a guy makes the final three he will win.

Possible boots: Well of my 4 possible boots last time, 2 of them did get voted out.  I'll name three.  Sarah is being considered a threat and her giving Nick her reward wasn't the smartest strategically.  Nick is on the outs and could be in trouble.  And I'm still afraid for Tyson, who players may re-target.

Episode 7: Are you kidding me, Survivor?!  Now there are no old school players left in the actual game.  This is ridiculous.  This is why they should have had the same amount of old- and new-school players.  Tina and Vecepia were more than willing to play.  Anyway, I just knew Yul was gone the second they lost immunity.  It almost seems like the challenges are scripted in order to provide the most entertainment and drama possible.  I like how they featured the Edge quite a bit this episode, and with all the old-school players out, for me the more they feature it, the better.

POTE: Rob Mariano
The way he found three fire tokens and was able to keep it a secret is a true master class of deception from Boston Rob.  Where the heck did he hide them, then?  My guess is he found a place to stash them somewhere on the island.  On multiple occasions he stripped down to his underwear to pretend he didn't have them.  It will be interesting to see how he uses them in the game.

PTWOF: Jeremy Collins
It's not that he did anything particularly memorable, but he put himself in a good position.  Denise won't vote him out.  Tony probably won't.  Kim won't.  He could make it surprisingly far in this season.  People should be considering him a threat, but they aren't.

PWNTSU: Adam Klein
His paranoia over the idol was stupid and over the top.  But if he continues to be paranoid and annoying to others, he might get taken to the end, only because anyone could probably beat him.  He needs to step up and be taken more seriously if he wants to win and not just be a Survivor goat.

Funniest/stand out moment: Ethan and Parvati's talk
I really enjoyed the conversation shown between Ethan and Parvati.  She and him have this brother/sister relationship which is really endearing.  He talked about potentially quitting the game over health concerns, but Parvati helped keep his mind focused.  That moment stood out for me.

Summary: They are merging next episode, and chaos will run rampant around camp, I'm sure.  Will it be back to Dakal vs. Sele?  Remember, Michele was a Sele, but she has now made an alliance with Wendell and Nick, two former Dakal members.  Same with Denise and Jeremy with Tony and Kim.  I think two of the three former tribes (counting Yara) will get together and target somebody.

Possible boots: For the first time, I'm going to throw out a few names who might get voted out.
In the order of likeliness to be voted out, I'll say: Ben, Wendell, Sophie, and Adam.  Ben is an obvious target, Wendell has perhaps played the game too hard too soon, Sophie is the next winner in chronological order, and Adam may get on people's nerves.  Time will tell.


Episode 6:
Another episode, another old school player gone.  Wait, two of them?!  Yep.  That makes 7 out of 8 vote offs so far old school players.  Yul better watch his back.  Will we have a merge soon?  Probably.  Will anyone on the Edge come back in yet?  We'll see.  I wish we had seen a bit more of the Edge, since Rob and Amber are both there now, but oh well.  Maybe next episode.

POTE: Denise Stapley
Denise made the best move of the season (so far) by using her idol and taking out Sandra.  If Sandra had stayed in the game, Denise would have had to give her her other fire token.  I would have done the same thing.  Unfortunately she wasted the second idol playing it for Jeremy, who oddly voted for her, but she had to cover her bases in case any of them threw a vote Jeremy's way.  If the young players underestimate her, she may go all the way and win.

PTWOF: Kim Spradlin
I think people won't see her as a threat, but I think she is.  She'll need to form the right alliances, but I think she can and do well.  If I was in the game, she's not someone I would think of getting out because she's a threat to go far and win.

PWNTSU: Michele Fitzgerald
With Parvati gone, her allies grow thin.  She'll need to gather some troops.  She didn't get along that great with Wendell, so if hypothetically they don't merge and her tribe goes to Tribal Council, she's probably gone.

Funniest/stand out moment: Wendell saying he'll flat out stab people in the back to win.  That wasn't a particularly smart thing for Wendell to say.  Now Nick and Yul will be wondering when that backstabbing is going to take place, and if they maybe should take him out before it happens.

Summary: I got my hopes up early seeing an early challenge, thinking there might be two of them.  Nope.  Instead, they had extra long conversations on the Sele and Dakal beaches about who to vote out.  I don't think Yara was shown after the challenge.  But for the next episode, will there be a merge?  They're down to 4 players per tribe.  Perhaps they'll go back to two tribes for a week or two, with whole new Sele and Dakal tribes.


Episode 5: 
That now makes 5 of the 6 vote outs so far old school players.  Sandra and Parvati should be worried.  I hate that Rob got voted out, but his methods were too old school, and he should have realized he couldn't control Ben and Adam like he controlled his old Ometepe tribe on Redemption Island.  I like how they split up the tribes, but poor Rob got screwed.  I guess the only way he doesn't get screwed is if he gets on a tribe with Parvati and Yul.  Would Yul take him out?  Hard to say.

Also, I wanted to add I saw Yara losing the challenge coming from a mile away.  Despite them getting a huge lead, I just knew they were going to struggle on the puzzle, because that happens so much on Survivor now.  It's not really fun to watch when it's this predictable.

POTE: Kim Spradlin
She didn't really do a whole lot, but in that challenge where they had to throw the bean bags at the blocks, she was killing it.  I would not be surprised if she played softball when she was younger.  And then I think she put herself in good position as the swing vote.  She can either side with Sandra and Tony or she can side with Jeremy and Denise, if they have to to go Tribal Council, that is.

PTWOF: Michele Fitzgerald
After the tribe switch, she formed a bond with Parvati, and she talked about Wendell (who she used to date) quite a bit.  She finished with saying she would take him out if need be.  I think I saw a sort of passing of the torch from Parvati to Michele as the Survivor villainess who bats her eyes and flirts but won't hesitate to take you out of the game.

PWWI: Everyone on the Edge of Extinction
As the numbers start to dwindle, I may stop this category.  Or I can change it to something else.  I think I'll change it to PWNTSU for Player Who Needs To Step Up, for someone who needs to up their strategy game.  Anyway, for the first time we didn't see anyone on the Edge of Extinction, probably because they wanted to focus on the tribes after the tribe swap.  That, and there probably wasn't anything happening there nearly as memorable as Ethan's trek to get 20 logs.

Funniest/stand out moment: Nick telling Parvati about his crush
Again, there wasn't really a moment that made me laugh out loud, but Nick telling Parvati that he had a crush on her in high school was equal parts awkward and sweet.  Parvati, I'm sure, has gotten that a lot.  I think she knows she has him wrapped around her finger.

Summary: Apparently, there will be two vote-offs and two tribal councils next episode.  What they should do is have them attend Tribal Council together, but of course vote separately.  If Yara has to go to Tribal Council, Sarah or Sophie may be forced to use one of their advantages to avoid a tie.  Also, it will be fun to see Rob and Amber on the Edge together.


Episode 4: 
Nooo... not Tyson. 😢  Oh well, I guess.  He overplayed his hand and trusted the rest of his tribemates too much.  At least Sele won a challenge again, although with how badly they fell behind, it doesn't seem that believable that Dakal would not be able to figure out the puzzle in all that time.

POTE: Sandra Diaz-Twine
Her tribe may have lost the challenge, but it certainly was not her fault.  She even got the sit-out bench named after her thanks to Parvati's suggestion.  And then when the Dakal members were discussing who to vote for, Sandra is again pulling the ol' "As long as it's not me" trick, which is still somehow working.  I'm surprised she's lasted this long, considering she's a liability at challenges.

PTWOF: Nick Wilson
He's no longer invisible!  And I'll stop calling him "Thick Wilson".  He was able to turn the focus off him and onto Tyson, and he even got Tyson's fire token!  There's an impending tribe swap in the next episode, and I think Nick will be just fine.  I personally think he could be getting a winner's edit, as many past winners have been invisible at first but slowly get more and more involved.

PWWI: Denise Stapley
I think she had a few lines, not sure about a confessional, though.  She was a huge underdog the season she won, and she's an even bigger underdog this season.  But congrats to her, the first episode of Survivor she was ever in where she didn't go to a tribal council.

Funniest/stand out moment: Ethan getting all 20 logs
This wasn't funny, but heartwarming.  The way Ethan persevered despite being dehydrated, tired, hungry (all of the above), was very inspiring.  I had a feeling the medical at EoE was just a precautionary measure, and I was right.  Ethan's definitely one of the most inspiring people to ever play the game of Survivor.

Summary: It will be interesting to see what happens when the tribe swap happens.  Apparently, Michele gets put with her ex-boyfriend, which happens to be Wendell.  If the other players don't know that, they could form a dangerous alliance.  Whoever gets voted off next is probably someone who gets screwed by the swap and is down in numbers.

Episode 3:
Ugh I hate when tribes get one-sided.  Sele has lost 3 out of 4 challenges so far.  I wish they were doing separate reward and immunity challenges.  I like the element of having to plan on who to sit out for reward and who to sit out for immunity.  That very thing was the reason the Villains struggled a bit in HVV, when Coach wanted the reward and sat out Courtney and Sandra for the reward challenge.  Of course, the challenge was close, and of course, Dakal won again.  And it breaks my heart that now on both of his returning seasons, Ethan has gotten too early of a boot.  He could come back, so I'll keep my fingers crossed for him. 🤞🏻

Oh, and I must add my Player To Watch Out For has gotten voted out in two straight weeks.  WTF!  Ok, I'm picking someone from Dakal now.

POTE: Sarah Lacina
She is slowly getting more and more screen time.  She executed the sneak into the Sele camp and got the "Steal a Vote".  She also did well on the puzzle in the challenge.  She's becoming one of my favorites.  Oh, by the way, she was my pick to win this season.

PTWOF: Natalie Anderson
Who said I couldn't feature someone on the EOE on here?  Natalie has now found two advantages and has three fire tokens, I believe.  She is the queen of the EOE right now.  My girlfriend says she could win if she gets back in the game, and I don't doubt that.  Oh, and since my last two PTWOF picks have been voted out, this will end the streak of them getting voted out in a row, since Natalie can't possibly be voted out next episode.

PWWI: Thick Wilson
Again, this guy was barely shown.  I'm liking the Sele tribe more because they're getting shown more.  And on the Dakal tribe, Nick really hasn't been shown doing much.  Come on Survivor editors, show Thick Wilson more!

Funniest/stand out moment: Rob tickling Adam with a leaf
Right at the start of the episode, Rob wakes Adam by tickling him with a leaf.  I laughed pretty hard at that.  Adam seems to be the center of a lot of comedic moments; we'll see if that continues.

Summary: The Sele tribe needs to win next episode for sure.  Rob is their "leader", and if they lose again, Michelle, Jeremy, Adam, Ben, and Denise may be forced to take him out.  Tyson, meanwhile, may have made an enemy of Sandra and the two former Villains may clash at their next Tribal Council.  Should be fun to watch.


Episode 2:

Sorry it's a little late, but better late than never, they say.  I really enjoyed this episode.  The scrambling on Sele tribe after they lost was a little hectic, and poor Danni got the boot.  She was my previous PTWOF, so let's hope that trend doesn't continue.

POTE: Tony Vlachos
I just loved the whole ladder sequence.  He's playing care-free, but also determined and he showed his tribe he's willing to do anything to help them.  He should make it to at least the merge.  He also reunited with Sarah and reformed Cops R Us.  But a two person alliance is never enough, and they'll need to add a few more.

PTWOF: Ethan Zahn
Ethan is going to play a quiet game, and I don't think many will see him as a threat.  He may be seen as a threat to win if he gets fairly far, but he won't be considered a strategic or social threat because of how much of an old-school player he is.

PWWI: Nick Wilson
Thick Wilson as I'm calling him because of his extra blob didn't get much screentime in Ep 2.  He has only had one confessional so far this season in two episodes.

Funniest/stand out moment: Adam failing to place his torch in a hole at tribal council, easily.  "I thought it was a hole," he said.  That's what he said.  I wonder if that's the first time he's had trouble getting something in a hole.

Summary: I worry for Rob and Parvati as their numbers dwindle.  And, while I enjoy watching male players in the game, we haven't had a female winner in years, and only women have been voted off so far.  I'd be willing to bet money the next to go is a male.  I thought Ben was in trouble the way he ran his mouth at tribal council talking about paranoia, but he wasn't the planned person to vote out, Danni was.  Sele will need to win the next immunity, or Rob and company will be in trouble.

Episode 1:

My worry for this season was that since the new school players (Players who started playing Season 23 or later) outnumber the old school players, that they would just pick off the old school players one by one.  Not the case.  They look like they are willing to work together, at least on the Dakal Tribe, although they voted out Amber.  On the Sele tribe, there's a distinct division between the old and new school players.

POTE: Rob Mariano
Somehow, Rob wasn't targeted, although his wife was.  Rob is definitely the more dangerous player.  Danni floated his name out there, and Rob confronted her about it calmly.  He smartly decided to work with her if she told the truth, which she did.  His tribe lost the first immunity challenge, but in the second challenge Rob shined.  If not for his herculean efforts to shoulder people over the barrel, his Sele tribe would have been stuck there.  He also made an alliance with Parvati, which somehow is staying under the radar (for now).

PTWOF: Danni Boatwright
She's a lot of people's picks to win, namely Dalton Ross and Jeff Probst.  She is fit enough to last a long time in the game, and she's one of the few people in the game that most wouldn't be afraid to go to the end with.  She's not going to be on people's radars unless her old school alliance starts falling apart.

PWWI: Sarah Lacina
Did she have a confessional?  I can't recall.  She did well in the first challenge, and I don't really remember or know who's she's aligned with.  Is she aligned with Tony and Sandra?

Funniest/stand out moment: It wasn't from the actual episode, but noticing how a lot of the players have put on weight, I saw someone comment on the Survivor subreddit that Boston Rob should be called "Boston Blob".  Nick Wilson has also put on weight so I call him "Thick Wilson".

Summary: All in all it was a very good first episode, and I'm enjoying this season way more than the last few.  Despite the Edge of Extinction twist, it's still an enjoyable season.  They added Fire Tokens to the game, and allowed exchanges between people on the Edge and people still in the game involving advantages and Fire Tokens, which is smart, because otherwise the Edge of Extinction is pretty pointless to show.  Next week, it looks like on the Sele tribe that the new school players just decide to stick together, so if they lose the immunity challenge, either Rob, Danni, Parvati, or Ethan could be in trouble.

How to Win at Fortnite

After playing the game of Fortnite for a year and a half now (all on a console, btw), I can safely say I know what it takes to win.  Do I always have what it takes?  No, but I've now won 22 (I keep updating as I win more games lol) solo games, including eight games this since the start of Chapter 2.  Yes, adding bots to the game has certainly helped, but you still have to overcome human opponents.  I know 15 wins is nothing to be impressed with, but that's because I don't usually play to win.  I play to have fun and to try do new things in the game each time (and beat challenges).  If I set my mind to it and played to win, I bet I could win a lot more.  But if I were to do that, I would rage at the end of every loss and it would not be good for my blood pressure.  But I do know what it takes to win.  This is it.

- Get good loot somehow someway: It's very hard to win a game of Fortnite without good loot (Good loot meaning good weapons, shields, utility items).  That means probably landing in a named location, or get lucky and land somewhere where no one else is.  If you land near people, you have to do what you can to either continue looting there (and hope they don't see you or leave you alone) or you have to engage them and take their loot from them by defeating them.  Often times the victors of big named locations make it far and have a good chance of winning.  If you can ever manage to be the last player standing in a named location, you're off to a great start.  If you get screwed on loot, look for air drops and try to get to them quickly before anyone else.  Fishing is also an option if you're desperate for at least a rare weapon or shields.

- Be selective in your battles: I previously had this as "being aggressive more than defensive", but I don't think that's an effective strategy.  An effective strategy is picking your battles.  If you witness a fight and one of the players is eliminated, quickly swoop in and try to get an easy elim if you can, since the surviving player is likely low on health.  If you're looting or moving through the map and a player attacks you first, you either need to find someway to get the advantage back by firing back quickly or gaining high ground.  If you are outmatched, there is no shame in running away and using whatever utility/mobility items are in the game to get away.  Just recently, I won a game having run away from multiple players because my health and loot were not ideal, yet I was able to slowly build it up throughout the game and get the victory royale.  

- Learn how to build quickly: This is something I am still working on as it's harder to do as a console player.  But those who know how to "Crank 90's", which is creating stacks of builds with four complete walls and floor/ramp, are the ones who have a distinct advantage.  Being able to get a height advantage is huge, and the best (and usually only) way to do that is through out-building your opponent.  Even if you aren't able to do that, at least be able to quickly build up a defense if you get shot at and be able to spam builds if you're constantly getting shot at.  A lot of pro players suggest to practice builds in Creative mode, which I have a little, but probably should do more of.  And to go with this, you'll need materials to be able to out-build someone else, so if you can't get them from someone else, you'll have to farm for them a bit.

- Learn the map: This comes with experience, but there's almost always something to be learned about the map every time you play.  Maybe it's a chest location you weren't aware of, maybe it's a good sniping or hiding spot.  And with experience, you can find out which drop locations are heavy in loot but light in players dropping there, which for many is ideal.  The more players drop into a location, the less likely you'll come out of there victorious.  Whenever there are significant map changes (as there was for the start of Chapter 2), study the map and perhaps even go into Creative mode to learn where things are.  And don't drop into the same location every time, because the zone will rarely focus in on your drop zone, and you want to keep track of a number of different locations.

- Adjust your gameplay to the game's current set-up: Epic Games makes a lot of changes to Fortnite.  For example, in Chapter 2 Season 1, there were basically no mobility items.  Therefore, players had to adjust their game and loot for less time if they dropped in a location outside of the first zone.  Or, they could fish, stock up on Floppers, and just recover from storm damage once they do eventually get in.  Know what items and weapons are currently in the game and adjust your gameplay accordingly.  Know which weapons are better than others, and know which items and weapons are trash and should never be picked up unless you're in the most dire of circumstances.

- Play both Team Rumble and Solos/Duos/Squads: One thing that has helped me is playing both Team Rumble as well as Solos/Duos/Squads.  Team Rumble is a great opportunity to work on your shooting, aiming, and even building, since there are unlimited respawns.  It's also a good opportunity to see how you fare with each gun in combat.  Some people like the regular assault rifle, some prefer the heavy or the burst.  Find out what works best for you.  Team Rumble is also good for working on your sniping, which can come in handy in solo matches.  On the flip side, you don't always want to play Team Rumble, as you won't learn (or you'll forget) how to be sneaky, and you can develop a bad habit of just rushing into battle.

- Don't get caught between two players: In solos, the worst thing that can happen is getting caught between two players.  Obviously, it's every player for themselves, but if you're the closest opponent to two different players, that puts you at a distinct disadvantage (a 1 vs. 2, essentially).  This is especially problematic if they are the only two opponents left in a final zone.  In the final zone, position yourself so that the zone is behind you and any opponents are in front of you.  Never position yourself in the middle of the zone if you can help it.

- Pray for an easy final opponent: I'll be honest, a lot of my recent wins have had an easy opponent in the final two with me.  One opponent fell into a trap I set, another dropped down to my level and basically let me kill him, and another tried pickaxing a wall I was behind even though there was an open doorway and I was able to rush him and take him out.  Each time I was at a distinct disadvantage.  The first game I was low on health, the second game I never found or used shields all game, and the third I was also a bit low on health.  Yet I won each time because my opponent made a careless mistake.  Sometimes, you just need to get lucky.  I can't even begin to count the amount of times I made it to the final two before my first solo victory, and thus I was the other person's easy final opponent.  Each time, it seemed like my opponent was significantly better than me.  Even if you're not terribly good at the game like me, you're bound to get lucky and get an easy opponent at some point.

- Watch others: One thing that really helps is watching professionals or experienced players play the game.  Either you can watch on YouTube or Twitch, or without even having to go to a different app/device, you can spectate players in the same game as your own.  If you die, you get the option to spectate whoever killed you.  Often times I've sort of died "on purpose" so that I could spectate.  Watch what others do, their habits, what they do in certain situations, and try to emulate them.  Or, you can try a Squads game and watch your teammates.  But don't die on purpose then.

Fortnite's a great game, and despite the lack of updates and changes in Chapter 2, I am still playing it.  Some day when I can keep my cool, I may try to play aggressively and see if I can possibly win two matches in one day for the first time.  I will say if you never win, it can get pretty disheartening and not be quite as fun.  I didn't win my first solo match until about 300 games in.  It takes time and practice and determination.  If you follow my advice and put in the time, you'll be winning matches in no time.

Top 7 Ways I've Accidentally Hurt Myself

I thought of an idea for a post after injuring myself a week ago.  I've been fortunate to never suffer a very serious injury in my life (no broken bones, no hospital visits, etc.), but what are the worst that I've experienced?  I know I've hurt myself many times in my life, but the most memorable ones are ones that create wounds that lost a long time.  On most of these, I'll have to guess my age because they were so long ago.  Here are the Top 7 Ways I've Hurt Myself (not on purpose of course):

7. Bungee ball snaps on me and leaves a scar, age 13 or 14
One toy I had as a kid (not for very long) was called a bungee ball.  It was a small rubber ball attached to an elastic bungee style cord, which was attached to a wrist strap which you'd wear on your wrist.  The gimmick of this toy was that it was a ball you could throw that would always come back to you.  One day I was playing in the backyard with it, and I was seeing how far away I could stand and still hit our backyard shed.  The harder you threw, the farther the ball would go before returning to you.  One of my throws must have been a little too hard, and the cord snapped.  In the process of snapping, it left a lash on my wrist, just below where my hand starts.  I can still see the scar to this day.  The funny thing is, it didn't bleed much at all, it was more like a small rug burn in a confined space.  But it was enough to leave a lasting impact.

6. Running with scissors leads to predictable result, age 3
I don't remember this injury happening because I was so young obviously, but my parents have told me about it.  I was under the care of an old friend of my parents that used to watch me.  I somehow was running with scissors and tripped.  The scissors put a gouge into my head, right below my temple.  The reason I believe my parents (other than the fact I trust they wouldn't make something up) is that I have a noticeable mole in that very spot to this day.  It must have formed over the scab as it healed.  It's on the right side of my head below my temple close to my right eye, and you can see it in basically any picture of mine.  I think my parents stopped having that friend of theirs watch me after this.

5. Spraining my index finger playing basketball, age 11 or 12
As a kid playing games and sports during recess, injuries are always a possibility.  This is one I didn't even go to the nurse's for, although I probably should have.  One day playing basketball, I was receiving a pass from one of my classmates, which on my right hand only caught one finger, my index.  To my best recollection, the ball hit straight onto my finger's tip, also bending it back a bit in the process.  I tried playing through it, but couldn't.  The next day my finger was noticeably swollen compared to the same finger on the other hand, and I could only bend it a little bit.  If only smartphones had existed back then, I would have taken a picture.  Fortunately, it healed quick enough.

4. Getting hit in the face playing football, age 11 or 12
I got hurt a lot as a kid as you'll see.  Football was an often forbidden game for us to play at recess, even if we made it two hand touch.  Sometimes some of the rebellious kids decided to break the rules and decide to play tackle football.  This wasn't one of those times playing tackle football, but we were playing football.  My team had the ball for this particular play.  I went out on a route as a receiver.  Now, I didn't get thrown the ball very often, but on this particular play, I did.  I was on a crossing route, and my quarterback threw me the ball.  I went to grab it, only to notice a player on the other team approaching from the opposite direction.  He got to the ball first, and in the process his elbow made hard contact with my nose.  I fell to the ground in pain.  Gaining my composure and looking down, I noticed blood in the grass.  My nose would not stop bleeding.  One of the kids signaled for a teacher, who then later escorted me to the nurse's.  All they did was had me hold a towel to it for a while.  I remember not being able to smell through my nose for at least the rest of the day.  I don't think my nose was broken, but it sure hurt enough to be.  And we definitely weren't allowed to play football for a while after that.

3. Cutting open my thumb and almost passing out, Age 31
This is the one I referenced to in my first paragraph that happened just recently.  I was preparing to dice onions with a special onion dicer, the kind that has a lid and you press it into the onion which is on a set of blades.  I was in the process of setting it up, which involves setting the blades into place and locking them in.  For some reason, the locking tab wasn't going into place, so I smartly decided to try to force it.  The locking piece broke off and my thumb slipped over the blades.  At first, I thought the pain I felt was only from the pressure on the locking piece, only to see my thumb start to bleed pretty profusely.  I then went to the bathroom.  I don't have much experience with open wounds, so I stupidly let it bleed over the sink.  I tried rinsing it out a bit, but the pain was just too much.  I then started getting extremely lightheaded and felt like I was going to pass out.  Fortunately, my girlfriend gave me Snapple and cookies to replenish my blood sugars.  I also put some pressure and then later a bandage on it.  I later on saw two pieces of my thumb's skin stuck in the onion dicer's blades.  I knew it wasn't a deep cut; it just took off a couple thick pieces of my skin.  But any worse and I would have needed stitches.  I can still see the wound (which is healing) on my thumb now.  Today's actually the first day I haven't had to wear any kind of bandage over it whatsoever.

2. Scraping my knee from kneecap to shin, Age 9 or 10
I'm not sure on the age at all, but it was definitely before adolescence.  When I was a kid, my family used to go on bike rides during the summer around the neighborhood.  One path we often took had us going over a path with pretty thick gravel.  I believe my parents told me not to take a sharp turn on it, but I didn't listen, and I was at a pretty decent speed as well.  I lost control and fell off my bike, the first thing hitting the ground/gravel being my leg.  I was wearing jeans (that I ruined), so the fact I scraped my knee up as bad as I did was remarkable.  I remember having to tough it out pedaling home, tears pouring down my face.  I also remember the excruciating pain when my mom put Bactine on the wound.  I remember it took weeks and weeks to heal.  It was a huge wound, and I have a small scar on my knee from this.

1. Hitting my eye socket area on the metal leg of a chair, Age 10?
One of my worst ever injuries to my face was as a kid.  I had a blanket with me and I put it over myself, and I smartly decided to spin around and around and make myself dizzy.  I got so dizzy I lost my balance and fell to the ground, and with the blanket over my head, I had no idea where I was landing.  Of course my face came into hard contact with the metal leg of a chair.  I remember that chair my parents used to own.  It was black.  Anyway, it was pretty darn painful, and I instantly started crying.  I had the worst black eye, and I think the only black eye I've ever had in my life.  Fortunately my eye itself was perfectly fine, as it only got the area around my eye.  As for my age, I remember being pretty young, which I feel like was 7 or 8 years old, but I remember this happening at my second childhood home, which I didn't move in until I was 10.  So I guess I was 10?  Not sure.  I believe my parents took pictures of my black eye and those pictures are in one of their photo albums.  I'll have to go through those some day to see how old I really was.

Obviously, most of these happened as a kid.  I have tried to stay away from doing activities like those as an adult, mainly because I know better.  The funny thing about most of these injuries is that they happened on my right side.  Hitting my eye I believe was on my right side.  Scraping my knee, right side.  My thumb was definitely my right thumb.  The face... well that was the center.  My index finger that I sprained was my right one.  And gouging myself with scissors was definitely my right side.  And the bungee cord snapping was on my right wrist.  Most of these are because I am right handed, but it's still interesting.

Seattle Mariners in 2020 - Youth Movement Underway

The Seattle Mariners are in the process of a rebuild.  There's no getting around it.  That's what it is.  They are not expected to contend this year, and even asking for a playoff run next year may be too early.  But the youth movement is here and it is also the future.  Gone are Cano, Cruz, and now Felix Hernandez.  Seager and Gordon are close to gone.  Haniger could join them.

The 2020 season is for the young guys.  We get to see Evan White at first base.  Barring injury or significant struggles (knock on wood), we get to see full seasons from Shed Long, J.P. Crawford, Kyle Lewis, and Jake Fraley.  The 2020 Mariners won't make the playoffs (barring a miracle), but they will be interesting and worth a watch.  I'm certainly going to want to say that I watched the start of these young men's careers.  Hopefully they'll be leading our team to the playoffs in a few years.

I'm going to go over what I expect from each notable player, including the veterans.  Team success isn't quite as important as seeing progress in certain individuals; namely, the youngsters mentioned above.  At the end I'll assign them a tier number.  These tiers are in reference to their careers as a Mariner from 2020 onwards, so if they already had their success, they might have a surprisingly low tier.  Those tiers are:

- Tier 1: I predict them to be a future star with us.  I'd be surprised if they never made an All-Star team for us.  Might not be quite as iconic as Felix or Ichiro, but will become one of the faces of the franchise.

- Tier 2: They'll be a serviceable starter, maybe borderline All-Star.  We've had guys like Jose Lopez, Kyle Seager, Mitch Haniger, and Daniel Vogelbach make the All-Star team just once and anyone in this tier will be like them.  Although Vogelbach only had a good half-season.

- Tier 3: They'll have a good season for us or two, but that's it.  Nothing all-star worthy.

- Tier 4: They really don't have much to give us and/or they'll be gone by the end of the season.

Catcher
Tom Murphy - With Murphy's emergence as the starting catcher, Omar Narvaez became expendable.  Murph will get the bulk of starts behind the dish in 2020.  He's not our future at catcher, but he's our starting catcher until Cal Raleigh is ready.  Interestingly, Murph is the only pure catcher on the 40 man roster, as Nola is listed as an infielder.  I expect Murph to have a similar 2020 as he did 2019, and hopefully he does not drop off (at least not significantly).  I'll give him a Tier 3 because I don't expect Murph to be our catcher in two years.

Austin Nola - I'm excited to see him catch more in 2020.  He may be used as a super utility player in 2020, going from catcher to first to third and maybe outfield.  Nola burst onto the scene in 2019, but he faded down the stretch.  Hopefully he can have a more consistent 2020 season.  If he rakes, Servais will find a spot for him in the lineup.  If he continues to do fairly well, which I hope, I'll give him a Tier 2.  I think he has potential to be our All-Star representative this season.  He's got to get starts somewhere, though.

First Base/DH
Evan White - I'm more excited to see this kid play defense than I am to see him hit.  His defense is constantly raved about, so I bet we'll see a sparkling play from him or two.  He doesn't need to absolutely light it up with his bat in 2020, but get at least some timely hits and show some pop.  I see him as a Tier 2.  I don't see a ton of star power in Evan.  I could see him being the next Eric Hosmer.

Daniel Vogelbach - He just completely fell apart last year.  After the All-Star break, he couldn't buy a hit, and our lone "All Star" ended up hitting .208 for the year.  He needs to have a more consistent 2020 for sure.  I do not see him as a regular in our lineup around the end of the season.  If he struggles, he'll get cut.  If he has success, he could get traded because he's turning 28 later this year and could be dealt for a prospect to a team needed a left-handed bat.  But I am very concerned for Vogey; his fall-off last year is concerning, so I while I'd like to give him a Tier 3, I am leaning more towards Tier 4.  If he doesn't get off to a decent start, we won't have the patience for him, and we could see Nola take a few of his starts.

Second Base
Shed Long - Apparently Shed will be given the bulk of the opportunities at second base over veteran Dee Gordon.  Shed showed some flashes last year with a surprising amount of pop in his 5'8" frame.  He needs to get better defensively, however.  He struggled mightily early on last year with his glove.  I'll give Shed a Tier 2.  Like Evan White, has some good qualities but lacks star power.

Dee Gordon - Dee is in a weird spot.  He's sort of going to be used as a utility man, spelling Shed and JP and maybe even playing outfield.  He'll also, I'm sure, be used as a pinch-runner.  But more than likely, Jerry Dipoto will find a suitor for Dee who will want to use his glove, legs, and contact ability.  I don't expect Dee to make it past the trade deadline, therefore I won't guess at his stats.  I expect Dee gone soon, so he gets a Tier 4.

Shorstop
J.P. Crawford - J.P. would have to really struggle to lose his job.  He did start off last season great, but finished kind of slowly (but so did most of the youngsters).  I'm sure we'll see quite a few more sparkling defensive plays this year from J.P. as he makes a name for himself in baseball.  I just hope he's able to hit for a fairly high average and stay at the top of the lineup.  I am torn between tiers 1 and 2 for J.P., but because of his defense I will give him a Tier 1.  If he turns out anything like Francisco Lindor, I'll be a very happy man.

Third Base
Kyle Seager - Seags is in a weird spot.  We can't really trade him because he has a poison pill in his contract; basically the option in his contract gets converted to another year automatically if he gets traded, and he is making way more than what he's worth at the moment.  He's the longest tenured Mariner now, and it'll be interesting to see how much the Mariners front office wants him to play.  They'll want him to play to hopefully increase his trade value.  But with how much he has put into this organization, I could see him staying for a while to also help mentor the younger players on both hitting and defense.  I'll give Seags a Tier 3.  

Outfield
Mitch Haniger - Unfortunately Mitch survived another set-back and will miss spring training and probably the start of the season.  You might think he's a bit injury-prone.  It's unfortunate; his career got off to such a great start with us.  Kyle Seager suffered a set-back at the start of last year, so hopefully Mitch has a similar hot streak to Seager's in him.  He could be trade bait if that happens.  Mitch literally could be any of the tiers, depending on how well he bounces back and if we trade him.  I'll go with Tier 3, because we have a lot of outfield talent in our system, and he is injury-prone.

Mallex Smith - I'd prefer him as a 4th outfielder and speed off the bench, but what can you do.  He'll probably share time in center with Jake Fraley, Haniger, and maybe even Dee.  I just wish he hit a bit more consistently.  He could be a potential trade piece if a team needs to replace an injured center-fielder or they need speed on the bench.  I'm going with Tier 4 because I expect Mallex to either be benched or traded.

Kyle Lewis - Hard to get off to a better start than Kyle did at the end of last season.  It was awesome to watch.  Can he carry that over to 2020?  Remember, Dustin Ackley got off to a really good start too, and we all remember how that turned out.  He's got potential to be a 5 tool player.  I am going to give him a Tier 1 because I feel optimistic when it comes to Kyle's chances.  He's been in our system a while and he finally gets his first full season to prove himself.  And I could see him like an Adam Jones type player.

Jake Fraley - I was not too impressed with Fraley last year.  In 40 AB's last year he hit .150 and did not get a home run.  He's surprisingly good defensively, but I worry about his bat.  He could surprise me this year and go on a tear, but I just don't feel like that will happen.  He didn't look wholely comfortable at the plate last year.  I know, that could change.  I'm going to give him a Tier 3.  I could see us trading him in a year or two, especially if Kelenic or Rodriguez come up and go on a tear.

Every other position player: I don't see anyone else having a lengthy or impactful career with the Mariners.  Dylan Moore, Tim Lopes, Patrick Wisdom, and Braden Bishop will battle it out for the remaining spots.  Haniger will probably start the season on the DL, so that opens a spot for someone, probably Bishop.  Usually, teams carry 12 or 13 position players, so there's not a ton of room for other players.  Wisdom is the newbie so I'll be most interested to see how he does.

Starting Pitchers
Marco Gonzalez - Marco is our presumed opening day starter since he was last year.  He just got a nice new contract as well, which I was happy to see.  Marco is a great guy to lead this pitching staff until we get some of the youngsters up, and then hopefully be able to pass on some knowledge to them.  I'll give Marco a Tier 2, only because I don't see Marco becoming a true bona fide #1 starter.  He could make one All-Star team as our lone representative.

Yusei Kikuchi - Yusei certainly had some moments in 2019, most notably in Cleveland and New York.  Otherwise, he mostly struggled.  He will need to make significant improvements in 2020, otherwise he won't be with us long.  He'll be given plenty of chances because A) We don't have too many starting pitching options and B) We're not expected to make the playoffs.  Unless Yusei makes a big jump this year, I give him Tier 3. 

Justus Sheffield - Justus didn't really impress me last year, but it was his first significant big league action.  He, along with Kikuchi, will need to make an improvement in 2020.  I give Justus a better chance due to his age.  I really hope he can become at least a serviceable starter, because when we acquired him in the James Paxton trade, he was supposed to be a legit frontline starter.  I'll give him a Tier 2, but I feel like I'm being optimistic with that.

Kendall Graveman - I really only know him by name, but I see he struggled a bit with the A's and then underwent Tommy John surgery.  He could either surprise us or cost us multiple games.  Even if Graveman struggles, Servais will probably be forced to stick with him due to lack of options.  I'm giving Graveman a Tier 4 based on recent history.

Justin Dunn - Dunn showed flashes last year in very limited time.  I honestly see him as more of a reliever than a starter, but maybe that's just me.  I like Dunn, he seems like he'll work hard and compete his butt off, but how well will he really do?  Time will tell.  I will give him a Tier 3, hoping to be proven wrong.

Bullpen: Much like with the bench, I'm not going to go over the bullpen individually.  I think our bullpen is going to see a huge amount of turnover the next few seasons until we find guys that stick.  I like Magill and Tuivailala.  We also brought in Carl Edwards Jr. and Yoshihisa Hirano, so it will be fun to see how those guys do.  There's also Erik Swanson, Brandon Brennan, and Dan Altavilla, who all pitched for us last year, but I don't really like any of them that much. 


It's odd how excited I am for this upcoming season.  I know at times it won't be pretty, but to see young players develop is fun to watch.  This season will remind me of the 2011 Seahawks, who had a lot of bright, young stars but not a lot of experience.  They were still really fun to watch, however. 

I'll predict a record of 69-93.  It's not great, but it's not awful, either.  I think there will be just enough talent to avoid 100 or even 95 losses.

Top 10 Greatest Seattle Sports Athletes I Have Seen Play

Just recently, I did a post on the Top 10 Athletes I Have Ever Seen Play.  Noticeably absent were all Seattle athletes.  I just felt like I had to do a separate post for them.  These ten athletes below are the greatest I have seen play for a Seattle team.  The more they played for a Seattle team, the better.  And the more I saw them play, the better.  Unfortunately, that means guys like Steve Largent, Alvin Davis, and Gus Williams won't be on here.  I'm not going to label what teams they played for, because we know if they played for the Mariners, Seahawks, or Sonics.

First, some honorable mentions:
Sonics: Rashard Lewis, Brent Barry
Seahawks: Marshawn Lynch, Doug Baldwin, Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor
Mariners: Alex Rodriguez, Randy Johnson, Kyle Seager, Jamie Moyer


10. Ken Griffey, Jr.
It feels weird putting him this low on the list.  But I only saw the tail end of his career with the Mariners and then the 2009 and 2010 seasons.  But I've been able to watch highlights, mainly of the 1995 season.  I think he's the most talented baseball player to ever play for the Mariners.  It's such a shame he not only got traded but had an injury-plagued career from that point on.

9. Gary Payton
Again, he would be higher had I seen him play more.  He was definitely the best defensive point guard I ever watched.  There's a reason they called him "The Glove".  It was quite a shock to me when the trade was announced that he had been included in a trade that netted us Ray Allen.

8. Earl Thomas
I couldn't include the entire Legion of Boom, so I went with who I considered their best player and the one I had most fun watching.  Earl has been such a great safety in the NFL, the ability to range from deep center field to come up and make a tackle on a quick pass or run.  Earl's quickness and smarts allowed Pete Carroll and his defensive coaching staff to play him deep, which meant no big throws were ever really completed against the Hawks defense.  The Hawks certainly would not have had the success they did on defense without Earl.

7. Felix Hernandez
There has not been a better pitcher with the Mariners in the last 15 years.  Felix not only was dominant, but proved his loyalty all the way until he was no longer productive for us.  It breaks my heart that he never got to experience the postseason with us.  No other player has inspired something like a "King's Court", something I made certain to be a part of a few times.  His perfect game in 2012 is definitely one of the best moments in Mariners history, and might be the best moment of that decade.

6. Ray Allen
Ray has to be the best shooter of the basketball I have ever seen, especially from three point range.  He hit a ton of clutch shots with the Sonics and easily became my favorite player on the team in the mid-2000's.  He and Rashard Lewis formed quite the scoring duo, even guiding the Sonics to the playoffs a couple times.  And Ray was one of the very few high scorers in the NBA that didn't talk too much.  He let his play and his scoring speak for itself.

5. Bobby Wagner
At the end of his career, he may end up as the greatest defensive player in Seahawks history.  Right now, that's probably Cortez Kennedy, but Bobby may pass Tez in longevity and overall production.  Bobby hasn't won a defensive player of the year like Tez did, but I think he should have.  There's just been too many other great players in the league.  But to me, Bobby is the best tackler and linebacker in Seahawks history, and I'm fortunate to have seen him play.

4. Ichiro Suzuki
The greatest contact hitter in Mariners history for sure.  He set the all-time record for hits in a season in 2004.  He won MVP in his first season in Major League Baseball.  It's a huge shame we could never get back to the postseason with Ichiro, but the guy is a bona fide legend.  The way he would make contact with the worst of pitches and get hits out of them just blew my mind. 

3. Walter Jones
An offensive lineman in the Top 3?  Why not?  Big Walt is one of the best tackles in NFL history.  In fact, he was voted to the NFL 100 club in the NFL's 100th season, meaning he is one of the 100 greatest players in NFL history.  I think he had fewer holding calls than seasons played, and he hardly ever got beat.  Walt was devoted to his craft and it showed.

2. Russell Wilson
My favorite current athlete winds up at #2 on this list.  Russell is a born leader.  What I love most about him is his faith in his team and his belief that they will win, despite sometimes near insurmountable odds.  The most notable example of that would be the 2015 NFC Championship Game, where the Hawks fell behind 16-0, yet Russell kept believing.  It paid off.  Besides that, Russ is going to end up with every team passing record, he is our winningest quarterback of all time and guided us to our only ever championship, and he has sometimes done this with very little help.

1. Edgar Martinez
EdddddGAARRRRRR....EdddddGARRRR... I can still hear the chants of his name ring throughout the Kingdome and Safeco Field.  Edgar was pure class, pure all-around hitter, and a clutch one at that.  Edgar is often known as one of the greatest Mariners, even though he has been passed in a lot of hitting categories by Ichiro or Griffey.  There's a reason he's so loved, has a street named after him, and had his number retired before even entering the Hall of Fame.  That clutch double he hit in the 1995 ALDS has a lot to do with it.  Edgar Martinez is my greatest Seattle sports athlete I have ever seen play.