I honestly can't choose between either author. Both recaps were fantastic and had be laughing out loud (something not apprecated much at a law firm).

I loved the little mermad reference and actually had to cover my mouth when I read the NWA comment.

I think I enjoyed this recap so much because it was very B-side esque. As long as they stay this way, it should be a good season.

I am voting for Schoonie. I thought this was an ok recap but it didn't really make me laugh.

Looks like we're gonna get a sob story from Dreamz every week. When he was telling us about his crackhead mom, I almost expected him to scream "I'm a crack baby!" then cry uncontrollably, just like that girl on American Idol.

Yau-Man is a sneaky old pervert. I hope he wins.

And what the hell is wrong with Boo? At the rate he's going, he'll be dead in two weeks.

Is this guy EXTREMELY accident prone, or what? For God's sake people, don't anyone give him a machete!

If you can lose your head while all around you are keeping theirs, you are Erica.

Did Boo get his nickname because of all is boo-boos? Maybe Klutz would be a better nickname.

Dreamz reminds me of the Greg Kinnear character in Little Miss Sunshine.

hb

I choose this one, especially because of its excellent screencaps. Good luck, Gary!

I was told not to worry about screencaps when I wrote mine, so if you could judge this based on the writing itself, that would be awesome. Thanks guys!

My vote goes for Gary. Awesome recap.

Don't sweat the screencaps, schoonie; if there's any comedic-justice, you'll be the one. This recap was ok, but didn't have me laughing out loud like yours. Do you smell me b-side?

My vote is for schoonie, which may be in part to my deep-seated hatred for Home Improvement... Good luck to both of you!

my vote goes to Schoonie...both recaps were great, but only his/(hers) made me laugh out loud.

I'm with you Ash, I could have done w/o the references to Home Improvement. Ugh!

I barely read either recap because I don't have the attention span and because B-Side didn't write them. But Schoonie's awesomely bitchy comment above has left me torn and undecided.

my vote goes to Schoonie...both recaps were great, but only his/(hers) made me laugh out loud.

I'm with you Ash, I could have done w/o the references to Home Improvement. Ugh!

Sorry, not meant to be bitchy! Meant to me diplomatic and friendly.

Gary, you did an OK job. Actually, a much better job than I could ever do, so my hat goes off to you.

But I did like Schoonie`s recap more.

Gary, no offense, but my vote is for schoonie's. His recap was funnier,insightful, and made more sense.Your recap "flow" is very confusing, and even though it had its funny moments, it wasn't as funny and witty as schoonie's.

Great Recap!
This is a hard one - one of those games where you want both teams to win. Each of you made me laugh out loud - but the edge goes to Schoonie for the number of times that happened.
I think Gary should get a spot writing a recap for one of the shows you're covering - because he is very funny and observant - but on the strength of the two reviews, Schoonie should be the last survivor standing. (double groan, because i might even be misparaphrasing something in the middle of a stupid joke)

Same here - my vote goes to schoonie. Gary, it took a whole first page to get into the flow and I could do w/o Home Improvement or wife references. I did enjoy your recap, but not as much as I enjoyed schoonie's.

And in the future - to whomever wins - make sure you include lot of screencaps, at least 2 per page!

My vote is for schoonie as well. I thought his recap was more consistantly funny. Gary's started slower, but midway through got funny. Kudo's to both!

Well I think I can see where this is going, but damn, I never expected to get freight trained.

I appreciate the support dagnytaggart, but I wouldn't try writing for another show. This isn't exactly encouraging feedback. It seems pretty unanimous that my style and sense of humor aren't what the readers here are looking for. That's not going to change if I do a different show, so this is it for me.

Thanks for reading ya'll, sorry it bored everyone. Sounds like you'll have Schoonie from now on, so enjoy.

Aw Gary that's too bad... I thought you were freakin' hysterical. You won with my vote hands down. I don't care for Home Improvement either, but lets face it, the reference was dead on. Personally, I think screencaps should have been part of the competition because that is one of the things I like best about B-Side & J-Unit's recaps (and one of the things really lacking in a lot of the new writers' recaps). And let me tell you, yours were fantastic!!! Especially the one where you pinpointed where Ravu went wrong - I laughed out loud.

So don't give up hope and submit for another one - PLEASE!

I liked your recap. I thought it was great. Voting Candace to Exile Island was great. Don't give up yet.

I liked this one a tad more than schoonie's. But both were great!

it was a great recap Gary (and I know how hard they are to write) but my vote goes to schoonie too b/c he did the research about how the indiv. idol would be played this season and I think he just went the extra mile for me. Sorry Gar.

I really thought this recap was great. I don't know what the others are talking about. I thought you're flow was great and you were very to the point, while still finding time to make very insightful and witty comments. If you don't win, please don't give up on writing for TVgasm altogether. You really are good enough to stay.

I vote for Gary. And I agree with all those who have said: Gary, if you don't win, you should write for another show! You obviously have plenty of people who like your style. Or maybe you and Schoonie could alternate weeks. But anyway, I vote for Gary.

I enjoyed both recaps and would be be happy with either person but if you forced me to choose between the two my vote would be for Schoonie.

I'm for Schoonie...I think it's partly b/c of writing style. Gary, I just think your writing style would fit better with a different show. This is probably because I'm so used to B-side and Schoonie was closer to that. I did like this one...just think Schoonie's is better for the 'Vivor.

I would definitely choose this one. Whether or not you like what Gary referenced, it certainly made sense. I also really like the way he pointed out subtle editing things (like Earl standing at the highest point of the island before he got the clue). An observant recapper always does a good job. Anyways, good luck!

P.S. Also, I think it's hard to judge because the two articles are about different episodes. The first episode is always full of tons of material, since we're just getting to know everyone. There was plenty of material this time, but it was definitely a slower episode. It would be easier to judge if they'd both written about the same episode.

BTW, I think the clue is actually about facing outward from the apex of the cave. It says 'the highest point through which you have ENTERED' which indicated that you would have to go under something, i.e. the cave that is at both camps, which is why I think the 'top of the island' thing is wrong. I think you situate yourself under the apex of the cave, take x number of steps inside/outside, dig, and there's the idol.

i vote for schoonie. gary's recap just wasn't as good.

I am for Schoonie, dammit! And I don't like bossy Sylvia.

My vote goes to Schoonie too.

My vote goes to Schoonie.

That said, I really DID like this recap, and thought Gary did an excellent job and had some great observations. I just prefer Schoonie's style, that's all.

Give re-capping another shot, Gary! I'm sure you'll find a niche that's perfect for you!

detroit votes for schoonie.

I have to vote for schoonie. I can't stand Tim Allen and never watched home improvement so I just kept scrolling to look for something on this one.

HoneyBunny, I loved your Kipling reference - and how true!

I definitely vote for Schoonie. His recap was just much, much better; funnier, conciser, flowed better. I found Gary's recap quite difficult to follow and a bit tedious. It also didn't make me laugh and Schoonie's definitely did!

Please don't get your feelings hurt Gary. These recaps are not easy to write, I know I sure couldn't do it.

Alright people you can stop with the Paula Abdul sympathy. I may not be funny, but I can see through your pity at least. I get the picture...the article sucks. You can stop saying it. My deepest apologies for entering this contest, somehow making the finals, and taking a week away from Schoonie.

Saying I should write for a different show is a bit like the girl you have the hots for saying you'd be a great guy for her friend. All of you that have suggested that, I appreciate it, but you obviously haven't counted the votes like I have. I don't think I'll be doing any creative writing again.

I didn't come here for the opportunity to write about whatever show will have me, I came here for the opportunity to write about Survivor. I don't care about anything else on TV. I probably won't even watch this show anymore, after this experience.

I'm sorry for not writing like B-Side, whatever that means. I've only read one of his articles before, so its not that surprising. But I still would rather sound like myself anyway, even if only 1% of the population finds that funny.

Obviously I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I thought it was the shows people cared about, I had no idea people felt so strongly about these summaries. Except for when my sister-in-law was writing recaps here back in the summer, I don't even visit this website. Someone who does told me about this contest and said I would be good at it. Obviously they don't know what they're talking about.

I really am sorry for wasting your time. And for the record, the implication that I must be a fan of Home Improvement just because I wrote those jokes...That's got to be what hurts the most.

gaj2w -

no one was being rude to you and no one was saying you were a bad writer. although you don't want to write recaps for another show, people were complimenting you and you basically insulted them for it. and to say you're going to stop watching survivor because of this is a little ridiculous.

"I really am sorry for wasting your time. And for the record, the implication that I must be a fan of Home Improvement just because I wrote those jokes...That's got to be what hurts the most."

First of all, that sentence right there should tell you all you need to know, because it's hilarious. I laughed out loud. You can write, of course. I laughed at it, and you’re my competition, for God’s sake!

Now, not to be an asshole, but I feel like someone needs to tell you this. It’s happening because I think you're a nice guy, and because you’ve been good competition all the way through this thing: these people were giving you "Paula Abdul sympathy" because when I started winning, you posted a self-pitying, emotionally infantile response. You threw yourself a pity party right here in the voting thread, which was both in poor taste and outside the spirit of this friendly competition. You went fishing for it, and they obliged. And now you're doing it again.

The point is that people criticize my writing all the time: see above, and the various people last week who didn't like it. It's a matter of taste, not a matter of talent, so please don't call me a copycat. I write my own stuff, and have my own style, and I don’t appreciate you making this personal by insulting my style because it might be in the same vein someone else’s.

And if you want to write, keep writing, but you’re going to get rejected more before you succeed. I’ll tell you that as someone who has tried. If you do this every time you don’t succeed at something, you’ll die. Just because people prefer oranges to apples doesn’t meant that the apples aren’t tasty, delicious treats, too. I think that's where you're getting your wires crossed. I love apples, even though I’m…sort of…the orange? In this metaphor? Wait, I’m confused.

But anyway, your opportunity will arise, don't let your dreams be squashed on the first try. I can count at least ten people above that enjoyed your recap. Don't waste your time posting self-deprecating crap in an emotional plea for sympathy, then rebuffing people when they (quite correctly) respond to it. You, me, and everyone here is above that. It’s poor sportsmanship, and it’s making something serious that is meant to be enjoyable. We both spent too much time on our entries for things to end up all personally. This whole thing is supposed to be fun! So, let’s discontinue this particular conversational direction now, consider the matter closed, grow up, and continue the voting as before but without all the personal crap. Pick yourself up and move on. Jesus.

Schoonie - agreed.

Gary - I admire you putting yourself out there and recapping, which is more than most of us (and I include myself in that) can say.

I liked your re-cap. I simply laughed more at Schoonie's, and therefore, my vote goes to him. I just preferred his style.

Well I must say I'm a bit confused luxe.

I didn't say anyone was rude. I didn't say anyone called me a bad writer, but the votes do speak for themselves. And I said I appreciated those people who suggested a different show. So I don't get where you're coming from with any of that.

As far as not watching Survivor anymore, you can think that's ridiculous all you want. But as I said, I don't care all that much for most TV so not watching one show anymore is not a big deal to me. Who cares what the reason is?

Gary- if you don't care about watching Survivor anymore b/c of this then you don't deserve to win this contest. It's all about the show, and those of us that love it understand. This is a TV-centric website. We LOVE TV! It's simple.

Look, you all are reading far too much into the responses I posted. Zoobabe is right, however. I probably shouldn't win if TV isn't that important to me. Writing these articles was not my dream. The bottom line is I may not win the contest, but I fell in love on this comment board. It was love at first site. Her name is Candice. We just have a rapport. So I may not win here, but that's my prize that I get to take away.

gaj2w.

sorry to confuse you.

you didn't come out and say anyone was rude and you didn't say anyone called you a bad writer. my point was you were rude to them by saying that you could see through their pity and you got the picture that your article sucked... when no one said that and some people actually complimented you.

you're the one who made a point to say that you may not watch survivor anymore because of this whole thing - it's not ridiculous that you're not watching it, it's your reason that's ridiculous.

i agree with zoobabe.

"It was love at first site. Her name is Candice."

Love it! Billy's sense of humor about that was great after the fact. And also, even if you didn't mean to type it 'site', that even made it more awesome, given the context! Oh, double entendre, how you do amuse me.

i must say the line in gary's recap about sending candice to exile was pretty funny.

oh how i miss billy. i really wish he hadn't been voted off so early.

My vote goes to Schoonie. I enjoyed his writing more, though both were good.


Even if I had thought Gary was better (which I didn't), for the record, I would've changed my vote after I read Gary's sappy and pathetic attempt at sympathy.


Regardless, my vote (before and after) is for the superior writer, Schoonie.

My vote goes to Pedro.

Sorry.

This has been the best voting drama EVER!

Gary, I hate pathetic, whinny losers! In the future, grow a backbone before entering another recap contest. "If you can stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen".

I gotta go with the majority here. Gary, it was really good, but Schoonie's was funnier to me. Your poor sportsmanship was offputting, though.

I change my vote as well. Schoonie just schooled you on the comment board and was completely on point. As good of a writer as you are, you can't let stupid commenters (myself totally included in that bunch) truly hurt your feelings. It's just televeision.

What am I saying....I live for Television!

Really Gary? Are you being totally serious? Why on Earth would you attempt to write recaps for a website you don't even visit. That is just plain silly. Know your audience. I actually felt guilty voting one way or another until you posted your juvenile "whatever" retort. Grow up.

Well I don't know what to say. As soon as I realized how everyone was taking my comments, I stopped making them, except to try and lighten the mood a little with the Billy thing. What I wrote was a mistake, although I believe it was misinterpreted, and I'd take it back if I could.

I appreciate everyone's feedback and I enjoyed the little bit of time I spent here. The important thing is I hope you will all join me in congratulating Schoonie on his victory, because none of this should be taking away from that.

Can't we all just get along?????? B Side....where are you??? Come back and save the recap before blood is spilled.

wow, gary's comment board breakdown is second only to that clown video of anna nicole smith. truly awkward in every way possible.

good luck, schoonie. smell ya next week.