HOLLYWOOD—Last year, totally reinvigorated my interest into the CBS reality hit “Survivor.” I have gone back and watched previous seasons of the series to learn more about why this reality competition series is enjoyed by so many TV lovers. The biggest thing that I have come to appreciate about “Survivor” is the level of gameplay and strategy that is witnessed from week to week. A player on the bottom one minute can be at the top the next minute and then voted out soon after. There are always surprises to this series, unlike another fave of mine, “Big Brother.”

The latest franchise of the series “Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X” is pitting the young against the old. At first, I was not completely sold on the latest entry. I always love a few surprises and a few twists. I immediately connected with the Gen X cast because they seemed like underdogs; troopers ready to go battle with a bunch of youngsters who seemed more ‘chill’ than ready to play the actual game.

However, those dynamics soon shifted when the two tribes were split into three tribes. Yup, the millennials started to mingle with the Gen-Xers and vice versa. Virtual standouts for me in the beginning were David, Adam, Zeke, Ken and Jessica. I will admit I was NO FAN of the foursome that included Figgy, Taylor, Jay and Michelle, however, with Jay the only remaining member of that alliance still in the game, he has grown on me. He is a bit of an underdog and you always root for the underdog.

Last week’s double episode, just in time for Thanksgiving, might have been 2 of the best hours of television I can recall witnessing in quite some time. We didn’t get one blindside, we got two, as enemies, Chris and Jessica, both found themselves out of the game. Why was this pivotal? Chris was indeed blindsided by his allies Zeke and David, while Jessica was eliminated from the game because she drew the odd rock. I mean the fact that Sunday (who seems to be more a follower than leader), can get Adam, Hannah and David to utilize his idol on Ken versus Hannah was phenomenal gameplay.

And that tribal council was wild and I mean wild, because it was apparent a clear division emerged in the tribe and sides were formed. On one side it was: Will, Bret, Sunday, Jay and Zeke. On the other side it was: David, Adam, Hannah and Ken. So Zeke’s side has the numbers, but the question of the hour is could we see another shift in power? I do believe so because so many players are so vindictive and driven by taking out their enemy, they fail to realize that if they take out their enemy, they soon become a target.

I think host Jeff Probst is phenomenal at the Tribal Councils; he knows just the right questions to ask to elicit drama and honesty from the contestants. However, and I’ve pointed this out before, I hate, and I mean hate that he constantly chats during the immunity challenges. For once, it would be heaven to just watch Jeff let the contestants compete without causing them to stress by chatting who is in the lead, who is struggling to stay in the game and mentally psyching the contestants out. Well, maybe that is his goal to begin with. At this point, we know Jay still has an immunity idol that can be utilized at any given time, if he becomes a threat which is a wise choice by the other side to flush out his idol.

In return, Adam has an idol that NO ONE and I mean NO ONE has an idea about, which I think is a testament to Adam’s ability to utilize this special power to his advantage. If a person doesn’t know you have an idol, it gives one an immense out of power to blindside their opponents. Oh, we can’t forget the legacy advantage that Jessica ‘willed’ to Ken because she got voted out the game. Unfortunately, the audience won’t learn about those contents until day 36, which is less than a week or two away. My gut tells me it will have to do with some sort of special power or eliminating a jury vote or something. I’m certain it will indeed be a game-changer.

At this moment, I’m rooting for a final four that consists of Ken, David, Adam and Jay. It would be so much fun to see these four go at it for the top prize, based on the number of jurors I can only assume we’re looking at a final three situation yet again; it would be nice if “Survivor” went back to the final two element, and it just seems fairer in my personal opinion. With only a few more episodes left, it will be a treat to see how this whirlwind of a season wraps, still waiting for that epic blindside that has yet to transpire people!