I said it last week, but apparently I didn't say it loud enough for my comments to travel through time and reach Laura and Tina last summer, so let me try again:

I love the way having loved ones totally changes the optimal strategy — but it's weird to me that none of the players (except maybe Vytas) seem to realize how much things have changed. It's like at the start of WWII, when all the leftover generals from WWI were sending horse cavalry up against machine guns.

Is it possible that it's both true and a ruse? That is, Nicole really is pregnant, and Rob is going off to do Season 27 with (say) his mom as his family member?

Here's why this COULD be a good season. Imagine the following scenario:
Before the merge, over in the Favorites tribe, Rob C and Kat make an alliance, and together they vote out Rupert.
Meanwhile, over in the Family tribe, Rob's wife Nicole makes an alliance with Rupert's wife, and they vote out Kat's boyfriend.
Now the…

Sandra? If I'm remembering her first season correctly, she was rarely in an obviously dominant position. In fact, I think part of her pitch at the final Tribal was, "I'm the person you always came to when you needed an extra vote."

Jacob S.W. joins loveable loser Judge Reinhold among the people with only one player remaining. But fnarf is still in last.

My idea for a dream season: Brains vs. Brawn.

Awesome! I'll play, even though I don't know what "VTEP" is. (What's VTEP?)

It's actually pretty simple, but I don't blame you for being confused— the article makes it seem unnecessarily mysterious.

SPOILERS FOR NEXT SEASON! SPOILERS!

SPOILERS FOR NEXT SEASON! SPOILERS!

I don't yet know if I'm the Jacob from Lost. That's one reason why I'm so interested in how the series pays off. What if I'm sitting there watching the finale with my wife, and it turns out that not only have I been pulling all the strings, but I'm totally lame and I don't make any sense? How's that gonna make me look?

Noel, I think the big flaw in your argument is that it ignores opportunity cost. If the ending of LOST sucks, then, yes, I will still have enjoyed all the hours I spent watching it. But I will realize that I could have spent those hours engaging in equally pleasurable activities with better pay-offs. I think that's…