What is the Best Season of Survivor?

What is the best season of Survivor? I've tackled this question once before - back after Season 17 - but a lot has happened since then, so let's take a look at it again.
Now lists like this always differ from person to person. I look for a few specific criterion when evaluating a season.
1. Was the cast entertaining? - Usually I will use likable, but unlikability is just as important to a season of Survivor
2. Was there someone to root for at the end? You can have a great season, but if there isn't someone to root for in at least the last episode, the season really loses steam.
3. Unpredictability - This will come in two forms, both equally important to Survivor - big moves and blindsides
Other things also come into play like location, challenges, attractiveness, and where I was at the time.

Some of the rankings have changed somewhat dramatically from the first list, some not so much. This time, I saw 4 distinct tiers from my rankings. Tier 1 will be the clear best - picks 1-4. Tier 2 will be good, entertaining seasons - picks 5-8. Tier 3 were normal seasons, better than normal TV, but just average Survivor, unmemorable - picks 9-17, with picks 13-17 especially interchangeable, with little distinguishing them from one another. Tier 4, bad seasons picks 18 -23.
Alright, enough explanation, let's get to the countdown.
Ranking the Seasons of Survivor

23. Survivor Fiji
Actual Season #14
Quality Contestants: Yau-Man
Why 23? Boring. I did not finish watching this season. People were mean and unlikable, challenges unmemorable. Yau-man was the only redeeming quality of this season.
Turning Point: There was this weird haves vs. have-nots motif from this season. The winners of the first challenge got the good camp and then went on to win every immunity challenge, even after the teams were switched up.

22. Survivor Nicaragua
Actual Season #21
Quality Contestants: Marty? Fabio?
Why 22? Again, unmemorable, no big moves or twist, generally unlikable, dull contestants. Again, I did not finish watching this season.
Turning Point: ????

21. Survivor Redemption Island
Actual Season #22
Quality Contestants: Boston Rob, Philip
Why 21? The placement of this season depends on how you feel about Boston Rob. If you like masterminding, boring, predictably TV, you'll like this season. I respect the game he played. It has to be the best ever, but that does not mean that this was a good season to watch. Even with Redemption Island, NOTHING happened.
Turning Point: Rob gaining the confidence of every single person in his tribe.

20. Survivor Thailand
Actual Season #5
Quality Contestants:???
Why 20? This is rated the worst season by many and I can see why. It may be puzzling then, that with zero quality contestants, this season still beats out 3 others on my list. I think part of it is due to the newness of Survivor at this point and the fact that the underdog tribe of mostly older people took over the game. Also, it was compelling to see how far Brian's control of the game went.
Turning Point: This was the weird season where when the tribes were tied 5-5 they moved to the same beach, but did not merge. They stayed as separate tribes, and Brian's tribe won the next two immunity challenges confirming their dominance in the game. This could be the inspiration for this season's "One World", but I hope this season is better than Thailand.

19. Survivor Africa
Actual Season #3
Quality Contestants: Ethan, Tom, Lex, Kim P
Why 19? Africa had a lot of good contestants (see above) and interesting people (add Frank and Brandon to the list.) It had the first tribe switch in Survivor history, yet it was a boring, at times hard to watch season. Most of this is due to the locale. It was super hot, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by thorn bushes to protect them from the animals. I think the low rank is also due to the disappointment compared to previous seasons.
Turning Point: There is the obvious tribe switch, where the old people's alliance lost their power, but there was also this odd episode after the merge where Lex was on a mission to find out who voted for him in the previous tribal council. He thought it was Kelly even though she was in his alliance so he voted for her, Kelly voted for him and got the numbers-down tribe to do the same. But for some reason, Brandon went with Lex and voted off Kelly too, sending her home with a 5-4 vote. If Brandon votes for Lex, the Lex/Tom/Ethan/Kim alliance is done-zo.

18. Survivor All-Stars
Actual Season #8
Quality Contestants: Most
Why 18? This is another season expectations were high, but disappointment abounded. This lends to the low rating. Mostly, though, it was players already knowing each other and having established relationships that made it a bad season. People knew each other, how they played the game, and knew them outside the game. This added a very negative personal element to the game. There was no feeling out period, no forming of strong teams, just getting rid of people perceived as threats.
Turning Point: Lex believes Rob and protects Amber. Next episode, Rob votes out Lex. Rob and Amber go to the final.

17. Survivor China
Actual Season #15
Quality Contestants: Todd, Amanda, James
Why 17? China had some good contestants. It was entertaining and I guess good television, but other than James being a beast and Todd controlling the game, I don't remember a thing about the season.
Turning Point:???

16. Survivor South Pacific
Actual Season # 23
Quality Contestants: Coach, Jim, Brandon (purely as entertainment)
Why 16? South Pacific was the second of the two Redemption seasons. Ozzy and Coach were the returning players, a much less significant draw than Russel and Boston Rob. Not a great season, but some great big moves by Cochran and Ozzy. The moves, though actually did very little.
Turning Point: Cochran betraying his tribe when the merged 6-6.

15. Survivor Amazon
Actual Season #6
Quality Contestants: Butch, Rob C
Why 15? This was the first gender divided season. Kind of a weird one. Lots of sexual talk. Lots of the women playing the men. No hugely likable characters, but entertaining. Probably the first season based primarily on strategy instead of alliances. That might for lots of backstabbing and betrayal.
Turning Point: Quite a few but mostly the women conning the men, expect for Rob, who was usually in with the women.

14. Survivor Tocantins
Actual Season #18
Quality Contestants: Coach, Taj, JT
Why 14? Another season not very memorable. No real big moves, but some good contestants. A satisfying season as the underdog tribe going into the merge watches the larger tribe self destruct and the underdogs come out victorious. This is running theme in Survivor.
Turning Point:

13. Survivor Guatemala
Actual Season # 11
Quality Contestants: Rafe, Gary, Bobby Jon, Stephenie
Why 13? Again, not a hugely memorable season. A pretty good cast, and a tough, tough locale - starting the game with the 12 mile jungle trek. Love Bobby Jon!
Turning Point: Probably the early alliance formation after the tribe switch - really cast the die for the entire season.

12. Survivor Samoa
Actual Season # 19
Quality Contestants: Russell, Shambo
Why 12? The ranking of this season depends on how you feel about Russell. I like Russell as a villain, but not really as a player. It's great to have someone to root against, and I totally see why he did not win. This season again saw the underdog tribe at the merge stay together as the larger tribe totally self destructed. This time, though, not really many likable people on the underdog tribe - kinda dull in fact, excluding Russell.
Turning Point: At the merge the leading tribe was up over Russell's tribe 8-4 (7-5 if you count Shambo) and they voted off Erik, one of their own for no real reason. Then things went downhill from their with Russell using his idol and players being concerned about pulling a rock. Also, black Russell's having to leave due to injury should not be downplayed. I think his tribe would've stayed together if he were still there.


11. Survivor Panama
Actual Season #12
Quality Contestants: Bruce, Sally, Aras, Cirie
Why 11? Lots of unlikable characters - Shane, Danielle, Terry, Courtney and a season where the underdogs do not make a comeback like in Samoa and Tocantins. Still a good season though, due to good challenges, and the immunity dominance of Terry.
Turning Point: Actually Terry winning every challenge kept Aras in the game. If Terry would have lost along the way, he would have used the idol and that would have sent out Aras, the eventual winner.

10. Survivor Marquesas
Actual Season #4
Quality Contestants: Paschal, John, Kathy, Young Boston Rob
Why 10? Interesting season, not really a lot of likable people, but some good players. This season saw another tribe switch (only the second time) and the first ever big alliance break (see below). It also had the purple rock, a young Boston Rob - much funnier, but not a smart player -, "I need somebody to pee on my hand", and some awesome scenery.
Turning Point: Biggest switch ever, and a precedent setter for Survivor going forward - one tribe has numbers domination at the merge and the people at the bottom of this alliance sense that they are at the bottom and jump to the side with the numbers disadvantage, thus switching everything up.

9. Survivor Gabon
Actual Season # 17
Quality Contestants: Bob, Matty, Corinne (good villain)
Why 9? A more interesting Africa than Season 3. Not the best cast, but a quality, likable winner and some good villains put this season in at number 9 on the list. Interesting idea of ranking the tribe members based on importance, then letting the tribe members pick new tribes based off that.
Turning Point: The early tribe switch along with the method for choosing new tribes mentioned above made for some strong alliances. Then the tribes switched again. The dominant alliance had the numbers in both tribes, but then Susie switched and voted off Marcus, thus changing the numbers. The role of Matty, though must be noted here. He won immunity for his tribe in this challenge. If he had not, he would have been voted out by Corinne, Charlie,and Randy. Whew, a long explanation, but an important one.

8. Survivor Pearl Islands
Actual Season # 7
Quality Contestants: Rupert, Darrah, Johnny Fairplay (great villain)
Why 8? This is the one that changed the most since my original rankings. Wow, this was a wild season. Pretty much every episode was a new betrayal, alliance, backstab, and blindside. Some of the best Survivor characters ever in the form of Rupert and Johnny Fairplay and nice eye-candy in Darrah. The Outcast thing, though, really lowers the rank of this season, especially with the unworthy uber-annoying Lil making it to the final.
Turning Point: When the outcasts came back tribes were even. Burton was integrated back into his original tribe whereas Lil rejected her original tribe, going with the other tribe and handing them the telling advantage.

7. Survivor Micronesia - Fans vs Favorites
Actual Season # 16
Quality Contestants: Favorites
Why 7? Wow, some of the best blindsides ever! Really, the women PLAYED the men amazingly a few times this season. Only comes in at 7 though, due to injuries to Jonathan and James, and the overall weak play of the fans - some pretty poor contestants among them.
Turning Point: I guess you are judging which blindside is the best here - I'll go with the one against Ozzy. Also, Cirie choosing early in the game to align herself with Amanda and Parvati proved an important move.

6. Survivor Vanuatu
Actual Season # 9
Quality Contestants: Julie (hot), Ami, Sarge
Why 6? Lots of people don't like this season at all, but I love the self-destruction of the women coupled with the subtle manipulation Chris uses on them. His comeback was epic. He should have been voted off after not being able to cross the balance beam on the first episode! Also, the attractiveness of many of the women and the amazing locations and challenges helps move this season up the rankings.
Turning Point: 6 women left and Chris, Chris finally gets the women to break their alliances as he gets the weaker women - Twila, Scout, and Eliza to form an alliance with him.
5. Survivor Palau
Actual Season # 10
Quality Contestants: Bobby Jon, Stephenie, James, Tom
Why 5? Lots of great Survivors and the biggest domination of one tribe over another in the history of the game. How could you not be engrossed by the total decimation of this tribe? Would they ever win? What would happen if they didn't? Would there be a merge? How would a tribe continue to dominate when they couldn't vote off their weakest players? All these questions were answered in Survivor Palau. Unfortunately, this was the odd season where the first half was much better than the second, because there were a number of weak players on the winning tribe that stuck around too long because there was never a need for tribal council.
Turning Point: No real turning point, just a slow, inevitable rise to the top.

4. Survivor Borneo
Actual Season # 1
Quality Contestants: Rudy, Richard, Greg, Colleen
Why 4? The first season ever brought us many great things. Sure it was pretty simple compared to later seasons - smaller challenges, less big moves, less strategic play, but the newness was awesome. To see it so quickly transform into a game of survival to a social game was pretty amazing. Also, some great characters in the first season, almost everybody that made it to the jury. Props to Richard Hatch for making the show what it is today.
Also, the final immunity challenge and tribal council are still unrivaled - Richard bowing out immediately telling both people (correctly) they have to take him to the final, Rudy's loss of concentration giving immunity to Kelly, Sue's speech, Greg's "pick a number" - love it!
Turning Point: Tied going into the merge - one tribe realizes they have to talk about who they are voting off. The other doesn't. Survivor history.


3. Survivor Australian Outback
Actual Season # 2
Quality Contestants: Colby, Mike, Rodger, Elisabeth
Why 3? Survivor at the height of it's popularity. You had increasingly better challenges, the start of a real strategy based game, yet the focus was still on surviving - floods, lost food, starving, killing pigs. Mike falling in the fire!!!! You had truly likable characters and the first Survivor villains. Unfortunately, Colby's not winning does drop the season down a notch.
Turning Point: Once again tied at the merge, this time the team's see the need to stay together. Keith wins immunity, so the votes are tied between Colby and Jeff. Jeff has previous votes against him and is gone. Colby and Tina's tribe moves on to victory.

2. Survivor Heroes vs. Villains
Actual Season # 20
Quality Contestants: Everyone but Sugar and Randy
Why 2? 3 and 4 were a close call and the same goes for 1 and 2. Heroes vs. Villains was a great season. It only comes up short due to the fact that none of the final players were likable. There was no one to root for in the end. The final 5 were a shadow of the former Colby, Jerri, Russell, Parvati, and Sandra. Another negative is your favorite players diminishing their legacies. Tom who was beyond awesome in Palau was pretty pedestrian here. Stephenie was voted off second. James got hurt again. JT orchestrated one of the dumbest moves in Survivor history. Boston Rob passed out.
That being said, still so close to being #1 on the list. Great contestants who knew how to play the game. The Heroes vs. Villains format worked much better than Fans vs. Favorites. You had Boston Rob vs. Russell, Tyson pulling a dumb move which got him voted off, Tom, Stephenie and Cirie not pulling the strings for a change, Amanda again blowing it, and Candice flopping over to t he Villain's side. (Why was she a Hero anyways?)
Turning Point: Lots of big moves as seen above. JT giving his idol to Russell was amazing, but the biggest move of all, and the BEST MOVE IN THE HISTORY OF SURVIVOR was Parvati giving her secret idol and the idol Russell gave to her to Jerri and Sandra. It was just the perfect example of playing the odds, reading the other players, and looking forward in the game. It was 5-5 at the Merge. Parvati knew they Heroes would not vote for her or Russell, so used both idols to keep her tribe ahead in the game.

1. Survivor Cook Islands
Actual Season # 13
Quality Contestants: Yul, Ozzy, Parvati, Jonathan, Cao-Boi
Why 1? Cook Islands just doesn't have the negative aspects that H vs V did. This was the "race season" and that has nothing to do with my ranking, but I do think the diverse cast did help the season. Anyways, lots of great characters - both likable and unlikable. Great challenges, maybe the best ever and a good number of twists and turns. The biggest reason this is #1 was due to the "Mutiny" twist. After a tribe switch and the knocking out of the weaker players, the teams were integrated and tied 6-6. Contestants were given the choice of switching tribes. Candice and Jonathan did so, totally switching the game, giving one tribe a 8-4 advantage. This gave the audience a clear underdog team - Yul, Ozzy, Becky, and Sundra - to root for and a clear villain team to root against. The underdog team went on a winning streak and ended up being the final 4.
Turning Point: After the Mutiny, the underdog tribe won a bunch of challenges in the row to almost even out the game, but their work was not done yet. When the merge took place, they were still outnumbered 5-4. Yul used his idol to get Johnathan to switch back over to his tribe, getting the numbers in his favor and then voted off Johnathan 2 votes later. Epitome of the Survivor Puppet Master, -carefully calculating every possible move and how certain players would respond to it. Rivaled only by Parvati's move in H vs V. Love it.

Big Dunc's Best of 2010

Last year I did my best movies of the decade. This year I will not be so grandiose, but I'll take a look back the year of 2010. As per usual, I will look at movies, sports, and a few other things and let you know my best of 2010.


Best Movies - as you will see, these are not necessarily movies that came out in 2010, as I don't often actually go to the movie theater, just movies I saw in 2010.

First a few honorable mentions:
Lawrence of Arabia - well this obviously is an old movie, and it wasn't even the first time I saw it, but upon re-viewing it, it is a pretty amazing movie. Check it out again or for the first time.
Couples Retreat - Yeah, I watched this movie as part of the free HBO preview. It wasn't too great, but not too bad either. I like Vince Vaughan and it had a pretty attractive female cast.
Dan in Real Life - This is one I saw randomly on TBS or something. It was one of those movies they play back to back and I saw the second half and then watched it again to see the first half. I couldn't change the channel. A great movie, check it out. Steve Carrell was brilliant.
Legion - I know lots of people hate this movie, and although it didn't really make any sense, I did enjoy watching it.


Now on to our Worst Movies of the Year

Valentines Day - Another HBO free preview film. Pretty weak, though the Ashton Kutcher/ Jennifer Garner storyline did rope me in.
The Other Guys - I think I legitimately laughed out loud once during this movie
Robin Hood - I had high hopes, but was disappointed
Angels and Demons - A great book (for the first 4/5), but a pretty disappointing movie.
The Hangover - Not a bad movie, but highly over-rated.



And the winner for Worst Movie of the Year:

The Other Guys - It looked bad from the previews, but I watched it anyways. Don't make the same mistake I did.



Best Movies of the Year

Up - Great from start to finish

Hurt Locker - Very intense throughout. Characterization was a little generic, but you could not take your eyes off the screen.

Near Dark - Finally saw this "vampire" movie strongly recommended from a friend. It was one of those movies that started pretty slow, but by the end, you are glued to the screen and do not want the movie to end.

Up in the Air - George Clooney at his best. This one was much funnier than expected and the serious side worked too. I actually liked Clooney's interplay with Anna Kendrick much better than Vera Farmiga.

Drag Me to Hell - Another HBO free preview movie, but his one was a quality surprise. Some really sick stuff, some kind of fun stuff, not super scary, but definitely entertaining.



And the Winner is:

Up in the Air - it is the only movie on the list I would recommend to everyone.



Best Books of 2010

Again, this is books I have read during 2010, not new books. I don't know if I've ever read a new book before. Also, I'm not a huge reader. I like to re-read old books. Of the 10 or so books I've read this year, I'd say 70% of them I have read before.

I've reread Timothy Zahn's Star Wars Thrawn Trilogy, a must for Star Wars fans. Harry Potter 7 was better the 2nd time I read it.

I've reread 100 years of Solitude and The Silmarillion, both of which now claim a place in my all-time top 10. I would love to have read 100 Years in Spanish (but I don't know Spanish). Garcia Marquez's work is so poetic (almost too much at times at expense of the actually momentum of the story) I can't imagine it in its original language. The Silmarillion to me, maybe because of my history background is better than the Lord of the Rings. It takes a while to get into, and through, but is worth it, much better after the second read.

Any my best new read of 2010:

A Canticle for Leibowitz - Not in my top 10, and not an easy read at first, but definitely entertaining and thought provoking. It's a post-apocalyptic tale of an abbey that preserves all history. If you like Sci-Fi, check it out.



Best Music of 2010:

Ok, some I'm pretty late on the music scene. My stereo got jacked over a year ago, not that KISSfm plays good music anyways. Well here are my picks for music I got into this year.

Regina Spector and from her to a slighter extend Nellie McKay just for this song

B.O.B. - great stuff with Bruno Mars, Rivers Cuomo, Hayley Williams, and his ESPN bowl song. Yes.

Adam Lambert - Ok, this might be odd, but his music is tight. No homo.



Best Sports Moments

Landon Donovan against Algeria

Michael Bradley and the US against Slovenia

Ghana/Uruguay ending

Badgers wins vs. OSU and Iowa

Favre's Int vs Saints

Everton's 2-goal injury time comeback vs. Man U



And the winner is:

Donovan vs Algeria - no doubt. This one should be the top moment of the decade.



Oh, and the Worst Sports Moment of the Year: Wisconsin vs. Cornell in the 2nd round of the NCAA, total torture watching that thing. Argghh.

Lastly, we'll take a look at the best 2010 post by Big Dunc. It wasn't necessarily a banner year for Big Dunc, but looking back it was pretty substantial - we had great World Cup Coverage, our Comic Book Bracket, Survivor Week, and awesome reviews of Lost seasons 1-4. It looks like going for quality over quantity paid off. So without further ado, here are my posts of 2010.

Star Wars Trilogy
World Cup Wrap Up - Definitely my best picture finds of the year. Check it out for a super hot Australian chick and Bill Clinton drinking a beer
Big Dunc's Survivor All-Stars - The definitive list of the best players and characters in Survivor History. This is a must see for Survivor fans and I think my best of the year, and also my Hottest Women of Survivor wasn't bad either.
Comic Book Bracket - I think this one of the Negative Zone region was the best of the bunch.
Best of Lost - Some great reviews of all the seasons, but I enjoy season 2 the best.



Enjoy, and look forward to more in 2011, or '11 as I will call it.

Original Star Wars Trilogy

So, time for another movie post, this time focusing on the Star Wars Trilogy. Last time I did Indiana Jones, but I consider myself much more of an expert on Star Wars. Again, it will mostly be just random lists that I compile.

My favorites films:
1. Star Wars A New Hope
2. Empire Strikes Back - I feel Empire is a better film, but I like A New Hope better. I watched it countless times and remember each little detail. I like how it is the beginning of so much

4. Return of the Jedi - such a large drop from the first two, it doesn't even deserve spot 3.

Hottest Women in the Galaxy: (not much to choose from)

1. Leia

2. Mon Mothma - Scoring a victory for women's lib movements and feminists everywhere.

3. Aunt Beru - Long years in the Tatooine suns were not good on her.

4. Sy Snootles - very leggy

Most Instrumental Minorities: (Again, not much to choose from)

1. Lando

2. Darth Vader's Voice

3. Return of the Jedi pilot "She's gonna blow!" ( a young Karl Malone) 4:19 of Battle of Endor clip below

It's interesting how deliberately Star Trek embraces multiculturalness, where Star Wars did not. In the books you get the explanation that the Emperor was very xenophobic and sexist and I guess you have the multi-species aspect instead of multi-race. But an interesting observation.

Best Supporting Characters:

1. Wedge - The quintessential soldier, the only minor character to make all 3 movies, a veteran of Yavin, Hoth, and Endor, instrumental to taking down 2 Death Stars. He saved Luke in the first Death Star run, was the first to bring down an AT-AT with a tow cable, and shot down the power regulator allowing Lando to fire the final blow on the second Death Star.

He is one of the those cinema oddities who was onscreen for probably a total of one minute, having only about 10 lines, but having a small, but vital role in the biggest movie series ever, is loved by all. Can anyone think of a similar character in movies or TV?

2. Grand Moff Tarkin - Played exquisitely by Peter Cushing. He really epitomizes the Empire.

3. Admiral Ackbar - Yes! "It's a trap!" Love the Ole Miss ESPN thing

4. Emperor - a minor character in the original trilogy, taking a large role in the prequels and was one of the most interesting characters in Jedi.

5. Lobot - I'm not totally sure of this guy's deal. Human contacted to the main computer of Cloud City. Not sure if he can talk, but either way, I like his style.

6. Nien Nunb - Just watch the Battle of Endor video and tell me this guy ain't the shit.

7. Greedo

8. Boba Fett - a bit over rated, but cool. I actually like IG-88 and Dengar better, but they really were only in the movie for a second.

9. Admiral Piett - Showed the the Imperial Military wasn't just incompetence.

10. Bib Fortuna

11. Wicket - not a huge fan of the Ewoks, but Wicket was ok.

12. Biggs - nice 'stache

Action Sequences:

1. Battle of Yavin - A New Hope - Nothing really compares to the original Death Star run.

2. Asteroid Field - Empire - Great scene escaping from Vader, negotiating through the asteroid field, Han and Leia's first kiss, then the giant Worm creature.

3. Battle of Endor -Jedi- Talking about the space battle only here. It's interesting that the end of Jedi juxtaposed the space battle, the battle on Endor with the Ewoks, and Luke vs. Vader and the Emperor, and I feel it was the one without any of the main characters that was actually the most interesting and exciting. Check out the Battle of Endor here uncut, not interlaced with the other scenes.

4. Hoth - Empire -I love this scene, but it doesn't totally make sense. AT-ATs? Robot dinosaurs? It provides cool visuals, but the scene is not crafted as well as the space scenes.

5. Luke/Vader - Empire - Pretty cool fight scene on Cloud City. Some nice elements, but it was the revelation, not the fighting that makes this scene most memorable.

6. Escaping the Death Star - New Hope - A lot going on here, stormtrooper oufits, Ben dying, shooting a few TIE fighters, nice.

7. Speeder Bikes - Jedi

8. Luke/Vader/Emperor -Jedi - Really disappointing as an action scene. The psychological stuff is the best part.

9. Endor/Ewoks - Some pretty cool stuff, but kind of cartoonish.

10. Jabba's Barge - Jedi - The Return of the Jedi was really all action scenes rather crudely put together. I loved it as a kid. Sarlaac, wild aliens, lightsaber tricks, but not at all instrumental to the plot.

Other Best Scenes:

1. Rescuing Leia/Trash Compactor - A New Hope -Pretty much flawless. So many good lines, so many great moments. Starting with Han on the Comm to finally getting the mashers stopped - amazing.

2. The Message - A New Hope - Finally hearing the message from Leia to Obi-Wan was amazing. It was so intriguing and so dense. You don't totally know what is going on, but you definitely want to hear more. The start of something big.

3. Dagobah - Empire - This might be cheating as it was actually several scenes, but Luke and Yoda were great. From the amusing first meeting to the hurried parting. Plus you have Luke vs. Vader/Luke in the cave.

4. The Force - New Hope - This is pretty much just a knowledge building scene, but works incredibly well. We learn about Obi-Wan, Luke's Father, and the Force. Again, drawing the viewer in for more.

5. Death Star Plan - New Hope - Nothing too crazy here, just the planning session for taking down the Death Star. Totally gives the insurmountable odds of the situation. Womp rats.

6. Cantina - New Hope -Great Music, amazing aliens, Han, Chewy, this really is the first introduction to the amazing complexity of the Star Wars Universe.

7. Emperor/Luke/Blue shit - Jedi - This is the culmination of the Luke vs. Vader/Emperor battle. The Emperor is just bombarding Luke with his blue force laser shit. He is going to kill him, and then...Vader picks up the Emperor and shoots him down the power shaft. Damn.

Best Inconsequential Lines:

"But I was going to the Tosche Station to pick up some power converters."

"Uncle Owen, this R2 unit's got a bad motivator."

"Stay on Target, Stay on Target!"

"He doesn't like you. I don't like you either. We're wanted men. I have a death sentence on twelves systems!

"Who's Scruffy lookin'?"

"And I thought they smelled bad...on the outside"

"Evacuate? In our moment of triumph?"

"Shut down all the garbage mashers on the detention level. (high pitched) Shut down all the garbage mashers on the detention level!"

"Bounty Hunters. We don't need their scum."

"Look at the size of that thing"

"May, what an amazing smell you've discovered."

"Intensify forward fire power!"

There you go. The greatness of Star Wars in blog form.

Indiana Jones Trilogy

Unemployment has its perks. Last week I watched the 3 original Indiana Jones movies in two days. Nice. It got me thinking about a few things - how much the new one sucked, how long its been since I've seen Temple of Doom, and how the Indiana Jones trilogy had many scenes that scared me as a child. But before I get into that, here are a few more Indiana Jones observations.

Films in order of greatness:

1. The Last Crusade - Sean Connery puts this one on top, but just barely.

2. Raiders of the Lost Ark

3. Temple of Doom - can't really compare some lost Indian stones against the Holy Grail and Ark of the Covenant

Leading Women in order of Attractiveness:

1. Dr. Elsa Schneider - Alison Doody - Last Crusade

2. Willie Scott - Kate Capshaw - Temple of Doom

3. Marion Ravenwood - Karen Allen - Raiders of the Lost Ark

Leading Female Characters in order of likability:

1. Marion - She out drank a large Nepalese man, tried to get the French guy drunk to escape,
and did the damn thing with Indy in the snake room. I like her style.

2. Willie Scott - She was often times annoying, but came through a few times in the end. She was a good damsel in distress. The scene with her and Indy in opposite rooms waiting each other out was pretty great.

3. Elsa - Well, you have the fact that she was a traitor for the Nazis, but she also sucked as character. She really did very little in the film and just provided all the female stereotypes.

Best Supporting Characters:

1. Short Round

2. Major Toht - Super awkward and sketchy

3. General Vogel - just for this one scene - works in any language

4. Sallah - Made it alive through two movies

5. Marcus Brody - Lost in his own museum
6. Young Indy - River Phoenix

7. Grail Knight

Best Action Sequences:

1. Leaving the German Castle - Motor Cycle and sidecar - Crusade

2. Airplane and huge German pilot scene in Raiders

3. Bar in Marakesh - Raiders

4. Airplane scene - Crusade

5. Escape from Grail Protectors - Crusade
6. Retrieving Marcus and Henry Jones - Tank scene - Crusade, a bit too long

7. Chasing down the Ark - Raiders

8. Mine scene - Temple - including large guard, voodoo doll, and mining cart

9. Young Indy - Crusade, a bit cartoonish with the snake and the circus animals and the "origin" of his whip and hat

Other Best Scenes:

1. Opening Scene - Raiders - iconic

2. Library/Crypt Scene - Crusade - intensive buildup, really draws you in. You cannot stop watching.

3. 5 minutes scene - Temple - Indy and Willie waiting each other out, turns into Indy finding the secret mine.

4. Shot Contest - Raiders

5. Austrian Castle - Crusade - Tapestries, Fake Ming China, Saying Goodbye, Fire - all great scenes with Connery and Ford

6. Dinner Scene - Temple - "Chilled Monkey Brains"

7. Opening Scene - Temple - Wild

8. Indy and Hitler - Crusade

9. Professor Jones - Raiders and Crusade - Pretty Hilarious both times

Hottest Women of Survivor

Season 20 of survivor has come and gone. Season 20 was great, but I won't comment on it until later this week when I reveal Big Dunc's Survivor All-Stars. We have seen 20 seasons of this great show, some awesome, some lame, some hit and miss. We've had heroes, villains, great moves, bone-head moves, injuries, people quitting, awesome challenges, lame challenges, great wildlife, incredible natural elements and more.What still draws me to Survivor? Well, the competitive nature, the politics, the variety of snapshots of human nature, and, of course, women in bikinis. In 10 years, Survivor has put some really hot ladies out there. I've had a Women of Survivor post before, so this will be the Season 20 update.

Criteria: Yes, there is more to my picking criteria than just hotness, but not much more. You must be attractive, but things like gameplay and personality play a role as well. Also, you have to stick around in the game for a while. This shows you can play the game of Survivor and it allows you to be seen more – more screenshots, more interviews, more awkward challenges. Yeah, that's about it.

Here is list ultimate list of Hottest Women of Survivor

Honorable mention:

Ashley – Samoa- much better looking than that hot mess Natalie

Amber – Australia, All-Stars – cute girl next door turned serious, winning player. Lost some points by marrying Boston Rob and then going on the Amazing Race.

Stephenie- Palau, Guatemala, Heroes – Stephenie is that tomboy that one day turned hot. She was a great player, and is pretty physical. That is both an advantage and disadvantage as for as a contest of attractiveness goes.

Brooke (Guatemala) and Misty (Panama) – These two were victims of early eliminations, going 3^rd or 4^th, so we really didn’t get a chance to know them or see them. Judging on looks alone, which I do not do because I am above that pettiness, Brooke would have made the top 10 for sure, maybe even top 5, but we just didn't get enough of her.

Kim P – Africa – Another girl next door type. She's cute, but not overly stunning.

Stacy – Fiji – The Fiji season did not bring us much. The best it brought would be Yau-Man, but Stacy comes in a close 2^nd.

Ami – Vanuatu, Micronesia – Hot lesbian.

Elisabeth (Australia) and Colleen (Borneo) – If this was a list of Cutest Women of Survivor these two would without a doubt be on top. They were the original desirable women on Survivor, giving lots of young males reason to be hooked. Thanks Colleen and Elisabeth.

Now on to the top 10 where the real hotness is at.

10. Monica – Samoa – Some people look better in the Survivor promotional photos, others actually look better in the swimsuits and non-make up element of Survivor. Monica would be in the former category. At times, she looks stunning, but kind of blended in once the games started. Don't get me wrong, she is hot, but only #10 hot.

9. Amanda – China, Micronesia, Heroes – One of the best players and best looking players. You have to like that one-two punch. Great smile, great body. Another good 1-2 punch. You got to see a lot of her. She's on the leader board for most days on Survivor and has to be #1 for "Most blurred out body parts". And, this may sound odd, but she has a very nice FUPA as well. Strong start to the Top 10.

8. Alexis – Micronesia – One of the fans in Fans vs Favorites, Alexis made it pretty far and played a pretty strong game before she was ousted by the superior play of the veterans. She has both girl next door and just plain hot looks. She doesn't initially come to mind when you think of hot survivors, but definitely worthy of a place in the top 10.

7. Candice – Cook Islands, Heroes – Candice Woodcock, the last name definitely adds to her positioning. She has a super fit body, but is kind of a bitch. She's one of those players that in my opinion, looks better in the game than all made up in the jury. But, I won't complain, I like her either way.

5a. Kelly (Gabon) , 5b. Sydney (Tocantins) – Had to put these two together. They are basically the same person for Survivor purposes. Both in recent seasons, both voted out 6^th, both blonde, both hot, both not super memorable, and they are the only two on the list not to make the jury. This shows they are definitely attractive, but couldn't quite use that asset to progress further in the game.

Also, these two move us forward on our list. There is no more girls next door or cute ladies, the final 6 are just plain hot. In case you don't remember, here's a nice video of Sydney and one of Kelly's final words - she is a biatch, but that makes me like here even more. Women.

4. Darrah – Pearl Islands – Ok, I might be the only one that is a big Darrah advocate, but like I said in the previous post, there is just something about her. She is/was a or mortician! She has a thick southern accent. She kicked ass in a few immunity challenges, which I think were shooting guns and blow darts. There is a lot there for a man from Wisconsin to love. I still can't find a picture of her that does justice.

Here is one video featuring the great Southern twang and another with a lot of great shots of Darrah smiling and winning and also showing that youtube is the most ridiculously great thing in the world.

3. Parvati –Cook Islands, Micronesia, Villains – Is it possible to be deceitful, conniving, and manipulative in an endearing way? I think Parvati is evidence that the answer to that question is yes. In Cook islands she was just another attractive girl, but she came into her own winning Fans vs. Favorites, and embraced the villainness role even more in Heroes vs. Villains. She uses what she gots. No doubt she is one of the best players to ever play the game - great in strategy and challenges. Unlike lots of people on the list, she is not one you would want to take home to your parents, and that makes guys like her even more. She doesn't have that classic beauty, but that doesn't matter. Gotta love that smile and the fact that she total owns her devious side.

2. Kelly – Samoa- Kelly was one of those very lucky to get a place on the jury. Samoa was an attractive cast, so seeing her alone every week on the jury made her stand out. She grew on me more every week. I admit I looked forward to seeing her every week. She was an ok player, but you cannot deny her hotness, fitness, and sexiness. Yes. Here is her "Day after" video. I agree Kelly, you did well physically, I would even say you did GREAT physically.

1. Julie – Vanuatu – I have to say that 5-2 on this list is pretty darn impressive. Good work Survivor producers. Keep up the good work. But, #1 was again not in doubt. The other ladies on this list are fine and super hot. Julie is at another level. I enjoy seeing pictures and videos of the other contestants, but I would look at Julie all day. She is drool producing, nocturnal emission inducing. I think that says it all. Julie is still Big Dunc's hottest Survivor contestant after 20 seasons. The pictures say 1,000 words.

Well, this is definitely one post I hope you enjoy reading as much as I did putting it together. Lots of nice pictures and videos for you. I'd say let's hope for 20 more seasons, but that would be pushing it, maybe 6-8 more would be perfect.

Let me know what you think of the list and how you would've ranked them. And stayed tuned for Big Dunc's Survivor All-Stars coming soon.