Watching Survivor

I’m trying to get the stream to connect ya’ll - it’s not working yet. I am still trying!

:11 FOUND A WORKING LINK! WHOO! Alright, here we go. Just in time for the first Immunity challenge for today. Once again, Immunity is back up for grabs - today they’ll race through a tarantula shaped obstical course for puzzle pieces to solve web shaped puzzle. Nice!

Survivors ready - Go!

JT flys through and gets his first bag first, Erinn working on his first, stephen and Taj too, as they race back toward the puzzle - JT heads out for number two… the rope will tear you up, says Jeff, and says they’ll lose skin - JT has his second bag, and no one else has their first until now - Taj then Stephen, then Erinn… JT with his second. Go JT! He has one bag left! It’s going to be a showdown - JT and Taj ion the same leg - she lays down, he crawls over, and TAJ is out with her second bag, and here comes JT with number three and he’s starting to work on the puzzle - Stephen is on his way, he’s got his final bag too. The puzzle looks like hell! Erinn and Taj on the way back with their last bag - the puzzle is HARD, and will take a long time. Taj and Erinn make it to the puzzle table, and JT has a head start, Stephen is hot on his heels, and Erinn is the last to get there. 1 piece in the center, two in the second, three in the third… WIll Stephen prove himself a wiz with puzzles too - JT has 5 pieces left, but is he right? Erinn making up a LOT of ground… The last to start, and she’s catching up fast! It’s JT stephen and Erinn! JT has one piece, but can’t find a spot… one is in the wrong spot… ERinn has closed the gap, it’s all Erinn and JT! Who will get it! JT WINS IMMUNITY! WOW that was close! Awesome challenge!

They head back to camp - and Erinn says she had it, one piece to go, and JT won. It’s frustrating, and she’s sitting next to people who have been together since day one, she’s very aware they could take her out…

:18 Commercial!

(more…)

It’s Survivor Night, and what would a pre-recap post be without the latest in interviews and a preview by Mr. Dimples himself? Exactly! So first things first - here’s the preview:

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Is it just me, or does Jeff seem a little anxious there? Is Coach close to getting the boot? We know Probst loves him some Coach - as he does all the wacky characters of Survivor - so maybe the DragonSlayer is about to get slayed! After all, other previews have the Exile Alliance finally deciding who they’re going to target and getting busy - and focusing on Coach. Will they succeed?! Seems that many of the castaways think they control the game - but as the previews keep asking - Which. One. Does?!

Here’s some interviews with Joe: Survivor Fans Podcast, Reality News Online and Buddy TV. And of course, the best of both words, Jeff Probst blogs Episode 7.

See you in a couple hours for the recap!

It’s A glorious day Survivor is back, after a week without and the clip show that was rather uninspiring - so much so that I never made it back for a recap. Sorry guys!

Jeff has his preview for us, though, and it looks like Coach might talk himself out of the game if he doesn’t learn to shut up, and yay! An Idol comes into play!

Check it out!

See you here for the recap - as it happens!

So, I’ve opted not to do a recap of the recap, as there was very little there that we hadn’t seen at some point, and not much that would change opinions of those who have already picked favorite or hated castaways. Sugar was Sugar, Corinne was a bitch, Randy was arrogant, Bob was the survivalist, Kenny was sneaky, etc. But - there was a clip worth watching… the auditions clip! Check it out:

Looks like there’s yet ANOTHER fake immunity idol on the loose too, this upcoming episode!

The question is - will it fake someone out yet again? Remember the preview we saw before, of Bob telling Corinne that Marcus really hadn’t thrown the idol into the ocean, but instead hid it and gave him directions to it… is this where his second fake idol comes into play? Will Corinne buy into the tale? Will we point and snicker and fall off our logs - er, couch - watching it, ala Sugar? Time will tell! I gotta hand it to Bob though - at least his fake idols look like the real thing! Unlike Ozzy’s stick. (It’s an effin STICK!)

It also happens to be the family visit episode, which is always good for some drama… and a marriage proposal?

Now, somehow I seriously doubt that Kenny and Crystal are involved, it looks like a bit of Survivor Film Team misdirection, which we all know they excel at. If there’s a real marriage proposal, my bet is Matty asks his Girlfriend when she gets there for the family visit. That’s the most logical assumption, of course. Crystal and Kenny look to be celebrating another potential blindside - that’s what it looks like to me, anyway!

Wow, how fun was our Pool Party, guys? Thanks so much to the folks at Fun Office Pools who made it totally easy to run this pool, as well as to the 56 participants we had checking in and making picks every week! You all Rock the Casbah, seriously!

Seems like most folks were seriously surprised by the outcome - in fact only ONE person got the full forty points for picking Parvati as the winner this week! IN doing so, they took over second place and kicked me official out of the top three spots. Well played! In the end, as you know, there can be only one. (I am well aware of how much of a dork I am, honest. *grin*) So, without further ado, I give you the winners of the Watching Survivor Pool Party!

With a total of 234 points, First Place and the winner of the Survivor Blast DVD and 3 Tribal Buffs from Survivor: Thailand (gold, purple, orange) is:

With a total of 215 points, Second place and the winner of the Survivor Board Game, and 2 tribal buffs from Survivor: Africa (gold, red) is:

With a total of 211 points, Third place and the winner of the Survivor Card Game Starter Set and 1 Tribal Buff from Survivor: Thailand (gold) is:

Congratulations to all of the winners, and thanks for playing along to the rest of you! My family made a pretty darn good showing too - with my two oldest coming in fifth and sixth behind me, my mom in twelfth, despite never having watched a single episode of Survivor - ever, and my sister popped up to twenty-first. Good job, guys, and thanks for the support!

Winners - please email me your mailing addresses to lessasdesign@gmail.com and I’ll get your prize packages off to you this week!

Hey, it was morning when I started writing this - close enough, right? (grin)

Congrats to those who chose well in our Survivor Pool Party this week! I certainly didn’t expect them to turn on Yau-Man so soon and am sad to see him go…

Congrats to Sugarbooger62 for pulling out the top numbers for the week with 18 points! That moved her clear up into 4th place overall. Colette was second for the week with 13 points, which kicked her up to 2nd place overall, right under me! Well done, you two!

As you can see - the standings are ever changing, and one good week can get you on top and in reach for those prizes, so get your picks in for next week’s episode soon!

As heartbroken as I am to see Yau-Man go, he handled it like I expected he would - with class and gratitude. You can find some of his interviews here and here - the last done by my buddy Lynn over at Reality Expoits. I’m sure other interviews will pop up around the net too - Yau-Man is extremely popular - and I’ll miss seeing him on the show!

In other news - if you’re around Penn Laird, Virginia on April 5th, you’ve got to check this out! There will be a Charity Pro Wrestling Event that will feature two of our favorites - Billy Garcia from Survivor Cook Islands, and the man we all love to hate, Jonny Fairplay! Thye’ll be squaring off in front of a special Celeb Guest Judge in a no DQ, no holds barred wrestling match with their partners Mr. Terriffic and Coach Dodson. This event will raise money for computers, smart boards, speech devices and other learning devices for severe and profoundly disabled children. And the big prize? The winners shave the loser’s head, right in the ring! That’s right - Billy might just be taking Jonny’s curls from him after the match!

There will be other special guests there - including Cao Boi (Cook Islands), Tracy Wolf (Micronesia) Kynt & Vyxsin (The Amazing Race 12) among others. The event is on April 5th, 2008, at the Spotswood High School. Admission is $10 and doors open at 6pm. If you get a chance to go, let me know, as I’d love a first hand account of the festivities! (When, oh when will these guys come to Alaska so that I can attend a function?! Sigh!) Good luck with the fundraiser, Billy and Jonny!

While we’re waiting to watch Survivor here on the West Coast - here’s a link for you! The Survivor Sexy Calendar Widget! That includes Johnny Fairplay. Uh….. and everyone else of course, with links to cool stuff on the web about Survivor, too!

Enjoy!

In the light of the end of the season, the end of the year, and in closure before we embark upon the Fans Vs. Favorites fanaticism, I thought I’d look back over Survivor: China and pick out my favorite moments. Of course, I couldn’t put them in any particular order, because that would be conforming… or something. So! in NO particular order - my Top 10.

1. Todd - Day one: “I will do ANYTHING to win this game.”
Truer words were never spoken then those from Todd on day one. When I heard them I was all “Sh-yeah, RIGHT, they all say that!” But the little flight attendant did all Survivor Super Fans proud, but sticking to his guns, making personal relationships that mattered, and setting them aside as needed to get himself further in the game. I love a man who sticks by his guns - and clearly, so did the Jury! That boy could talk his way out of ANYTHING.

2. James - “I bury people.”
HELLO! He was pushing trees down with his bare hands, he’s a gorgeous specimen of man flesh, he’s an all around good guy, a hard worker, with a smile and laugh to die for. What’s NOT to like?

3. Chicken - “DAYUM!”
So I knew he was a goner, right off the bat, but for an explosive exit, none could be better. He said it all in a single word!

4. The Wrestler, Ashley, being weaker then the average Survivor.
Yeah, everyone thought SHE’D go far, huh? NOT… and seriously, could ya whine a little more? Please?

5. Sherea getting into Dave’s face - “I wish you WOULD touch me!”
Who doesn’t like a woman who goes all OFF on some poor lil gay guy? How funny was she, begging for him to lay a hand on her so she could smack him one, flinging his attitude right on back at him? LOVED it.

6. Jaime - playing the fake immunity idol.
She still swears she knew it was fake, but come on… seriously? Who really believes that?

7. As much as it made me want to cry - James NOT playing the idols.
It’s a classic Survivor Blunder, guaranteed to go down in Survivor history books as the biggest idiot move EVER.

8. Courtney - Winning Immunity
I said at the beginning of the season, that maybe Courtney would grow on me, like snide, snarky mold. I don’t think she ever won me over completely, she still annoyed me by the end of the season - however, she did make me laugh on occasion. Especially when she said she’d won immunity because she didn’t want to fall in the swamp water. Nice.

9. Jeff Probst.
Everything about Mr. Dimples makes Survivor better for me. He’s so good at reading people, at getting them to admit things they’d rather not, at calling them out on their BS - and at looking good in blue. He’s funny, he’s got kick ass dimples, and seriously - Survivor wouldn’t be the franchise it is without him.

10. China.
Yeah, the whole damn country - or at least the parts we got to see. The scenery was gorgeous, the local’s harsh and unforgiving yet undeniably beautiful at the same time. They incorporated the Chinese culture in subtle and overt ways, and it was an unforgettable location for the 15th season. I don’t think any other local can quite compare.

So there ya have it. What were your favorite moment’s of the season? What do you want to see more of in Fans vs. Faves? Only 6 more days till the cast is announced officially! WHOO!

Are you ready? No, not for trick or treating, but for tomorrow’s episode of Survivor?! It’s said that my boy James might make a grave mistake tomorrow, and I’ve been busy sacrificing all my candy in the hopes that it just ain’t so!

While we wait, there’s of course a multitude of things to read! You can hop over to Survivor Fever, and read the cut scene between Jean Robert and Sherea, as well as Sherea’s final words, and day after comments. She’s pretty sure she was voted out because she was a threat - just like every other survivor that’s been voted off. She did her best to keep her head down and her mouth shut, but it just wasn’t enough. She is, however, already planning Survivor Days for the kids in her classroom - she sounds like a great hands on teacher to me!

And, of course, there’s the interview circuit - everyone’s favorite. Sherea’s interviews can be seen here, here, here, here, here and here.

And, from the looks of previews for tomorrow, James just might find himself the SECOND Immunity idol too - they told him where the first one was, stands to reason the second is in the same place. How could he make a horrible mistake if he has TWO idols? There is also promise of unique challenge, where if we don’t pay attention, we’ll miss the clues.

And, because I do love to watch James so very much, The Buzz has an article about him posted online: Acadiana ‘Survivor’ star and Crowley native strongest contestant?

They too speak of him having two immunity idols, and his friend says he might be in the best position of any Survivor ever - he’s strong, and used to hard work. Man… now we KNOW something’s going to happen to James soon - if not this episode, the next one!

Well, hopefully it’s not until the Jury, so that I still get to watch him every week for the rest of the season!

PS - just for today, check out CBS’s How To Survive A Horror Movie. There’s some seriously good stuff there! (grin)

Still on vacation, doing my best to survive the heat, made all the better by the plethora of fires popping up all over the place. Tomorrow, I’ll be headed up out of the Fire range, to visit with family, and hopefully to watch this week’s Survivor: China!

Aaron, of course, like all ousted Survivors is working that bitter card along the interview circuit. Victimized by the Tribal Switchup twist, he’s not exactly feeling the love. You can find interviews with him here, here, here, here and here. They all tend to touch on the same things, though my buddies at Buddy TV get straight to it and ask about the romance rumors between Aaron and Amanda. He says absolutely not – cuddling was for warmth purposes only.

Ok, Aaron, we believe ya!
No, really, we do.

Other then that, Aaron (predictably) mentioned that if it hadn’t been for the twist he would have been in a lot longer. He felt the Tribal Switch up really messed with his chances. Maybe they did, maybe they didn’t – I’m still of a mind that Peih-gee and Jaime made a BIG mistake pulling a card like that too early in the game.

So the question is – do they dare do it twice? Will James suffer the same fate that Aaron did and will I be wailing and gnashing my teeth come Friday morning? I’m not sure – but the preview does not look good…

Not sure when I’ll get my recap up – will do so asap, however!

I actually got to watch Survivor last night here at a friends house (Though they, the heathens, are not Survivor fans! CAN YOU IMAGINE?? Harumph.)

I will write a full recap as soon as I can but can you BELIEVE the audacity of those girls?! I’d be as upset as my man James! UGH!

Its a darn good thing they didn’t boot James though, I’m so not done watching him yet… raaaawr….

Promise! full recaps asap!

I’ve got a whole variety of things for you today!

First off, I am going on vacation! I’m headed from the growing colder by the day deep freeze of Alaska to the sunny shores of California where I’ll regroup and relax and spend time with some friends, my BFF (not Jill. ha!) and family. I’ll be gone about 11 days, however, I will STILL be thinking of you all - in fact, I’ll be bringing my new laptop with me so I can continue updates whenever I’ve the time and a connection. Yes, I love you guys THAT MUCH! So, while my posts might not be every day, and may occur all at once in spurts, I WILL be updating. So hang in there with me folks, while I get my head back in the right space.

Next - as all the Survivors before him, Dave has been busy on the interview circuit. What amuses me is that he still says that he was changing and adjusting to make a better leader for himself. What I saw was same Dave, different day. How about you?

You can find some of the interviews here, here, here, here AND here. Also, his final words tell the true tale of what he was thinking.

“I gave it my all. Perhaps I gave it too much. At least I did it with conviction and integrity. I thought I was humble. I thought I listened. I wish that some people had perhaps listened to be a bit more. There’s nothing I can do about it. I wish them the best of luck. Ah, youth. (smiles)”

And then the day after:

“It was a very big exercise for me to bite my tongue and not illuminate the inequity of work at camp. Even though they said I was speaking fairly condescendingly to them, I think that was a grossly over-interpreted thing due to the amount of effort I put in. I don’t think it was quite acknowledged.”

Oh Dave.

And C - What does James REALLY think of his tribe?

They’ve been bothering me up there. They should know better. They should know they’re only gonna get a negative response. If you tell me, ‘Thank you,’ I don’t care. I will tell you constantly, ‘Thank you,’ means getting your ass up and helping me. Thank you doesn’t come from words. I can’t work off words. I work off physical energy.”

[...]

That’s kind of getting on my nerves, this whole liberal talk thing. It means absolutely nothing, nothing but lip service. This lip service stuff is killing me. It really is. If you don’t want to do nothing, don’t say nothing. Don’t come up to me every five minutes and ask how I’m doing, tell me I’m doing a good job and then go lay your ass down. Apparently you’re not that thirsty. Don’t complain about what I make the water in; if you don’t wanna drink it, you don’t have to. Stick your lips back in the algae-filled river.”

[...]

“Right now I’m just so aggravated with these people, I’m almost ready to go home anyway. They’re killing me. The thing is I don’t mind doing the work. It’s not the work, it’s not the weather, none of that is killing me anymore. It’s the little attitude they give me when I’m chilling and minding my own business. I don’t bother them when they’re in the pool. They want me to come in the pool and be sociable. I’m like, ‘No, we need water.’ Leave me alone, and if you keep asking me that, I will give you a more aggressive response. They seem not to learn that, because they’re on a damn learning curve. I don’t know how many times they got their hands burnt when they were kids, but I’m surprised they have any fingers. It don’t make any sense for a person to…and they don’t ever get over the hump of learning stuff.”

And last, but certainly not least - DO NOT CLICK PLAY if you are easily offended. If you are easily offended, and you are to curious and HAVE to click play? It is NOT MY FAULT.

But this made me spit out my diet coke all over the keyboard. Some people have too much time on their hands - and it’s TOTALLY worth it. With that in mind, I give you “The Pervert Song: Starting Jean-Robert”.

Enjoy - and I’ll see ya when I see ya over the next couple weeks!

Survivor, Survivor: China, Immunity, CBS, Jeff Probst, Reality TV

(Part one, Part two)

Courtney is devastated (as well she should be), and Fei Long will be going to Tribal Council tonight, where one of the eight of them will be voted out.

Back at Fei long, the mood is very down, and Courtney says she “lost two hands and possibly a shoulder” and shows off her battle wounds. Jean-Robert says that it’s clear they need brawn, and strength on the team. Leslie talks about the other tribe and how three of them are Christans and that’s why they picked her. She cops to telling them little bits about them. She told them that Aaron is the leader, and he is not happy. He points out that she doesn’t think, her heart overcomes her brain. It scares him because of the merge, and what bonds she made over there.

Leslie and Todd talk to Courtney and how it was a hard challenge, and they know they need to break Jean-Robert and James up. They want Jean-Robert out first. He goes and talks to Amanda, and they talk Courtney vs. Jean-Robert. It’d be nice to keep Courtney, for later. And they decide to vote Jean-Robert. Todd is WORKIN two different alliances. I like this kid! They go to their main one and talk about Aaron, and he wants Leslie. He feels she’s more dangerous because she’s got friends on the other tribe. So now it’s Leslie vs. Jean-Robert. Todd doesn’t want the big guys in down the line, so he’s in a bind.

There’s a bigger group meeting, and Jean-Robert says Courtney or Leslie, and calls Courtney anorexic, and that one of them has to go. Ends when Courtney and Leslie walk up. Todd is doing the best he can to think strategically, and he’s unsure.

Tribal Council!
Fei Long lights their torches for the first time. Jeff talks about the challenges first, and Zhan Hu now knows they can beat the tribe. Jean-Robert is worried, because they have two of the strongest guys, but also have two of the weakest women. Courtney, of course. Jeff says that that can’t feel good, and she says for the past nine days, it’s been ‘where will you do the least damage’ because it’s always trying to put her, todd and leslie.

Jeff calls out Jean-Robert for trying to change what he said! “It’s not that I perceive them as week” “That’s EXACTLY what you said!” Go Dimples! Leslie says she spent the night with Zhan Hu, and she saw a tribe with Heart, and that her tribe lost because of Zhan Hu’s heart, not their strength. Jean-Robert says the heat has been on him, and he’s worried, and he feels he’s in danger and hopes he doesn’t get voted off.

Time to vote!
(Courtney “I’m voting for you because when you snore at night it sounds like someone is choking a walrus!” Awesome.)

The Votes: Jean Robert, Leslie, Jean-Robert, Sister Christian (Leslie), Leslie, Mom (Leslie) and the
third person voted from survivor China - Leslie.

Jeff says that it seems that the tribe needs to have fun, and do a better job utilizing each members unique strength. That’s it, grab your torches, head back to camp!

Next time on Survivor: Things heat up between Courtney and Jean-Robert, Sherea blows her cool at Dave, and both tribes get a lesson in the art of war.

—
What did you think of the episode? Am I the only one who just LOVES to watch James? Or the only one surprised when he actually started talking - and disappointed when he talked with JR? Heh. Sound off!

Hurray! My favorite part of the Official CBS Survivor page is back! They may have cancelled Survivor: Live, but the Survivors Strike Back blog is up and running! A new addition this year - several Survivor: Fiji castaways, including Gary, aka Papa Smurf! I love him STILL! And it helps that he and I totally have the same pick for who we like best:

James.

Though it might be fore different reasons. I must admit I just like to watch him. Give me all James, all the time, with bulging muscles and quiet conversation and “I bury people.” Yeah. I just love to look at him. You know, as an artist. I appreciate his musculature, and wish I were a better sketch artist. That’s all. Really.

Um. Moving on…

Though, I think for best chance to make it to the end so far has to be Todd. He’s a sneaky little bugger, and clearly a fan and student of the game, with a clear cut strategy and will to win. I’m ok with that.

I’d like to see more of Denise, though. One of the Survivors on the Strikes Back blog went to school with her, and says she’s been sporting that mullet since seventh grade! That is dedication, people! I’ve been waiting to see her put her Black Belt into action though - perhaps this week in the Clear The Deck Challenge?

I’d like to see less of Courtney, but I am pretty sure that isn’t going to happen. Maybe she’ll grow on me. Like mold. Skinny, snarky mold. Erik seems to have a pretty good head on his shoulders, so far, and Sherea - she’s just there. Nothing really to write home about, but for her willingness to strip out of her dress and wander round in underwear. Jaime is smarter then folks give her credit for - I see her going for.

My pick for this week? I think Ashley is right, and Dave’s torch will be snuffed next. I don’t see Zhun Hu pulling themselves up and together in time to win Immunity just yet. Who do you think will be on the outs Thursday? Do tell!

Survivor, Survivor: China, CBS, Jeff Probst, Reality TV, rumors, contestants

Hey all!

My blog buddy Billy Garcia is working his name and fame for a good cause!

This year, I’ll be taking part in JDRF’s Walk to Cure Diabetes, along with one-half million other walkers across the country, including some of my Survivor brethren as we try to reach our goal of raising $90 million.

Type 1, or juvenile, diabetes, is a devastating disease that affects millions of people - a large and growing percentage of them children.

There is some good news, though. For the first time, scientists are predicting that we CAN expect to see a cure well within our lifetime!

Now, more than ever, you can make a crucial difference. Won’t you please give to JDRF as generously as possible? Together, we can make the cure a reality! A Buck or Two CAN make a HUGE difference!

Again, I’ve set a new goal and it’s not much. every little bit helps!

Diabetes is something I know and understand the repercussions of first hand as my dad was diagnosed when I was five years old and has been working to remain healthy ever since then. My mother writes for 451 Press at Diabetes Health Talk, as well, and I’m happy to help Billy spread the word.

Every little bit helps, and he’s nearing the deadline for his fund raising! Please take the time to click here to visit his fundraising page and if you can, make a donation! Thank you in advance!

(More details can be found at Reality 4 Diabetes - including the other Reality stars who are participating!)

And! If you’re in the Chicago area, be sure and check this out! Mookie Lee, Survivor: Fiji, is raising money for Active Chicago, once again! There’s an event THIS FRIDAY, September 14th, where many Survivor’s will be attending and all proceeds go to Active Chicago. It runs from 9pm-1am, at A New Leaf, in Chicago. There will be Open Bar, Food, Performances and music by Dance2xs and DJ Rock City!

Survivors Alex (Fiji), Mookie (Fiji), Becky (Cook Islands), Jenny (Cook Islands), Edgardo (Fiji) will all be in attendance, as well as James and Howie from Big Brother! Be sure to check it out if you’re in the area!

What’s Earl up to?

Earl Cole, winner of Survivor Fiji, has decided to use part of his winnings to buy a home in Fiji, where he spent last December competing, and winning, the $1 million grand prize. Earl fell in love with the country while there, and is planning on buying a house along the Coral Coast for his mother to live. Part of the allure is that Fiji is a Christian country, and thus has the same morals and beliefs he and his family hold true.

“This is God’s country” he said of Fiji, “And it’s a great place. There’s a lot to do for this country.”

He plans on promoting the country everywhere he goes after spending a recent holiday vacationing in Fiji. With the winnings from Survivor, Earl is also launching his own multi-media company, A-Frame Productions, which will produce music, television series, documentaries and films.

(photo via Fiji Times Online)

(Photo via TMZ)

And, last but not least - the guy we love to hate, the one and only Johnny Fairplay - is PROCREATING. Yes indeed, and not only that, but with a MODEL from America’s Next Top Model! (Who, if I remember right, came out as bisexual or gay on the show… don’t quote me though!) That’s right. Johnny Fairplay and Michelle Deighton are expecting a baby early next year. She’s 17 weeks along and Johnny told TMZ that they couldn’t be happier, and he sure wouldn’t lie about that!

Would he?

Well, either way, Watching Survivor wishes Johnny and Michelle all the best and congratulations! When’s the Reality Baby Shower?