Episode 1 Review: This is the start of a new season. Each episode is 90-minute long.
Jeff Probst welcomed the 18 survivors with open arms. He divided them into three tribes – Reba (Red), Belo (Blue) and Lulu (Yellow). Bruce received a massive airtime immediately. He’s the only returnee of the season.
A Reward Challenge began. Teamwork was physically tested right off the bat. Some carried heavy sandbags and a long rope to empty a crate. Some swam to retrieve a key and some unlocked and unloop bags through a hanging ring.
Brandon of the Lulu tribe was physically exhausted as he climbed the wooden ladder to give the key to his group. Lulu lost. Belo lost too.
Kaleb and Sabiyah of Lulu and Jake and Brando of Belo volunteered to play the Savvy and Sweat Challenges with a good twist. They were taken to this island in which they needed to complete a Sweat “Physical” Challenge first before they would solve a Savvy Puzzle Challenge. Both tribes failed to complete the puzzles and went home with zero camp supplies.
Emily arrived at their camp feeling suspicious. She literally had something negative to say in every situation. It annoyed others. Brandon and Hannah had a moment of reflection and had a realization that the game is harder than they expected.
Lulu struggled again during the Immunity Challenge. Each member had a difficult time climbing to the top and solve a circular puzzle to win.
The Tribal Council felt different. It seemed like the majority would vote out Emily. Then, all of a sudden, Hannah had a confession. She admitted to the tribe she had enough. She was stressed heavily, was feeling miserable about herself and was crying every thirty minutes.
Jeff Probst asked the tribe if they would verbally vote Hannah out. The tribe agreed. Hannah exited the game. 5 stars of 5 | STUPENDOUS
Lesson Learned: “This is temporary. We can do hard things.” – HANNAH
Survivor begins its Season 45 pilot in less than 24 hours as of this writing.
The entirely new cast (plus a returnee) looks promising. Evaluating on how they look and how their names sound like, this cast is better than Season 44 but is not as equal as Season 43.
Their profiles on Entertainment Weekly are impressive too. Most are a stand-out and a couple are average tier (I won’t name names).
The Problem
It seems I am late in choosing a new set of early favorites, but it does not matter. Late is better than never.
The seasons of the new era since 41 are getting better in terms of casting, personality of each survivor and entertainment value.
My Early Favorites
KALEB
Why choose him?
Kaleb stands out from the crowd the first moment I saw the group picture. His hair looks cool. His smile looks cool too. And look at his face. Kaleb seems prepared to compete with a group of strangers who will betray him.
Kaleb is 29 years old, and he is on sales. This environment will not be a new place for him. As a salesman, he is used to people saying no to his offers.
To an extent, sales is more of a competitive cunning world to play than Survivor itself.
Why he outwits, outplays and outlasts?
Kaleb is an experienced salesman. He has sales record – generating millions while offering value to thousands of patients who need conservative healthcare. He also closed successful deals with hundreds of local businesses.
With achievements like these outside the show, Survivor can be a piece of cake for Kaleb. Just imagine that the show is limited to one place.
They are strangers to Kaleb’s eyes. However, his reach does not have to be massive. Closing a deal with 17 more strangers sounds like an easy reach than closing a B2B or B2C contract with thousands.
BRANDON
Why choose him?
Brandon seems a fascinating person. He works as a content producer, and I know how this feel. Content production needs ideas that are worth sharing in multiple channels.
With hundreds of ideas inside his mind, it makes me curious what ideas Brandon powers through. Will Brandon go for the safe ideas? When will he take a risk and make an amplified idea happen?
Why he outwits, outplays and outlasts?
Writers usually do well in the show. John Cochran in Caramoan, Mike White in David vs Goliath and Jonathan Penner in Philippines are three of the most successful writers who went far beyond the expectation.
Cochran even won. Interestingly, Brandon might follow suit.
He looks socially adaptable in his profile photo. People will need him for an alliance even he does not ask for anything.
DEE
Why choose her?
It is unbelievable that this entrepreneur grew up in Cuba. Dee survives the challenging transition of coming from Cuba to Florida.
Dee believes “the mind is powerful beyond measure.” This must be the reason why Dee grew up competitively and started her business at 23. She learns how to direct her life even if the flow of finances is uncertain.
Dee also believes she is a better business partner outside the show. This experience alone makes her an asset entering a game where negotiation is top priority. Will Dee play just like Jesse who prioritized his family before anyone else in the game?
Why she outwits, outplays and outlasts?
Dee’s profile picture looks like she prepares herself all her life for Survivor. She is ready for anything, and she is ready to face anyone.
Dee might be one of the most competitive women of the show should she negotiates her way to last longer.
JANANI
Why choose her?
Until this last second of writing these words down, I am in fence between Janani and Katurah. Both women have unique names, especially the latter.
In terms of profile depth, I want to take a risk and give the final spot to Janani. She is 24 and she is an independent singer who have carried a list of sacrifices behind her back.
One, Janani turned down Harvard Law School for singing. She learns to follow her heart even if she strongly knows how cut-throat of an industry, she embraces in.
Two, Janani restarted her life when she moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles. This personal decision made her a stronger woman who is willing to re-learn everything from scratch.
Why she outwits, outplays and outlasts?
Survivor is a game of risk. It is also a game of chance, and for Janani, this is not a new environment for her.
Experiences are her best teacher. At a young age of 24, it is highly up to her who she gets along with and how she re-adjusts the ebbs and flows of the game.
It seems expected for Janani to understand that singing is simply not about singing. She must have understood her product is an audio. People will shell out cash to listen with her stories.
Like Survivor, it is not enough to be strong both physically and mentally. It is a game without a single winning formula. Can Janani sing her way out of danger?
Here are the five reasons why I never missed an episode of Voltes V: Legacy. Think twice if you think I’m a big fan.
Voltes V: Legacy Creates History
This is my first time to watch a sci-fi-fantasy this big on local primetime TV. Voltes V: Legacy is a live-action adaptation of the anime of the same name without the term “legacy.”
The anime version aired around 1970s while the Voltes V: Legacy aired in GMA Network on 8 May to 8 September 2023 – which consisted of 90 episodes.
Thanks to GMA’s Kapuso Stream on YouTube, and I have never missed a single episode every night. In any instance the internet went slow, this was only the time that I turned the TV on.
I even watched an episode, that I strongly want, twice per day.
The truth that was, I had no idea who Voltes V was before the pilot. I also had no idea this was a show that is highly similar to Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers.
It happened one night when this show was trending in Twitter (now X) and I happened to click the 18-minute-long trailer.
I was mesmerized with what I saw. The effects were not substandard. Thanks to Direct Mark A. Reyes V and the assistance of Toei Company!
The story was predictable as expected, it is good vs. evil, but the quality of acting of select actors were stupendous.
I was not able to see the cinematic experience weeks before it began to air on Kapuso Stream. I wanted to, strongly, but there’s no formal declaration yet about the safety of theaters from World Health Organization (WHO).
Amplified Effects
It is expected for superhero films and shows to have superior visual, sound and special effects to attract their target audience.
Voltes V: Legacy is no exemption. No fantasy show in the past has made me a loyal follower every night. The visual and special effects are consistently good.
It is something I never expected to see for a primetime show in local waters.
The start of the finale week (Episode 85) is my favorite of all time. The episode’s entertainment value + effects as the Camp Big Falcon and Solar Falcon travel the outer space set the bar to the highest order for other sci-fi fantasy shows to follow or fail.
Voltes V vs. The Beast fighters
The focal story of Voltes V: Legacy is about a highly powerful robot created to protect Planet Earth from AI-powered alien robots from Planet Boazan.
These AI-powered alien robots are called beast fighters.
The fight scenes between Voltes V and various beast fighters are far superior to what I usually saw in Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers.
The fights receive longer airtime. Voltes V was tested heavily before he found a way to defeat the beast fighter.
The pattern of these fights is formulaic but not to a point of boredom.
I lost count of the beast fighters in the entirety of the show. There are 20, more or less. And my number one favorite fight was the one vs. Gardo.
Gardo is the third beast fighter made by Zardoz and his team that Voltes V defeated.
He is a bigger beast fighter with a metallic face. He is shaped to look like a samurai who talks in alien language and who is with stupendous ability on sword fights.
The weapons of Voltes V are no match to Gardo. All are useless. Gardo defends himself well using his sword.
The five pilots come in to this fight feeling confident as they already took down two beast fighters prior.
I admire the analytical skills of these five pilots. Two of them took the time to practice the butterfly return technique while the three continue the fight to distract Gardo.
The butterfly return technique is a psychological defense. Once Gardo attacks, Voltes V needs to eye the swing direction of the sword and protects himself by clamping the sword with his two palms.
This way, Gardo’s aggression disappears. His confidence level goes south when Voltes V throws his sword away.
Voltes V summons his laser sword and destroys Gardo in V formation.
Voltes V is heavily challenged when he faces the dinosaur-shaped beast fighter, Zairus. Zairus is the first beast fighter to appear under the new stringent management of Dr. Larry Hook.
Like the other beast fighters, Zairus attempts to destroy the Camp Big Falcon and the volt-in sequence.
There is no Voltes V without a successful volt-in. Therefore, the five pilots are forced to follow what Dr. Hook orders them to do.
The Spin-fly technique is an advanced air fighting technique that requires each volt machine to spin in formation. A thick rotating tornado envelops the volt machines while spinning endlessly.
While spinning, the volt machine in lead attacks Zairus and cuts him into two. The five pilots volt in successfully when Zairus is down temporarily.
Zairus returns and transforms into a bigger metal-made dinosaur. Voltes V summons his laser sword and attacks Zairus underneath, breaking him into two.
The other fights of Voltes V are also good. Some are forgettable. A couple are way over the top.
The finale fight between Voltes V and Godor is expected to be the greatest and hardest. It is the hardest, yes.
Voltes V lost an arm during the fight. However, in terms of the flow and quality, nothing beats the Gardo and Zairus fight scenes.
Love Triangle in Between
A love triangle is a tragedy. A love triangle is a love story that does not happen to everyone.
It seems a cringe story to tell, but memories of the past flood all over me when the writing team of Suzette Doctolero decides to fill the series with a love triangle between Steve, Jamie and Mark.
It makes me wonder how these writers capture the exact drama and emotions I went through twice.
Trust me when I say those Steve’s dialogues with Mark and Steve’s dialogues with Jamie were my lines I said when I confronted my Mark-like best friend and confessed my love with my Jamie-like friend, respectively.
The Steve-Jamie-Mark love triangle exceeds the Peeta-Katniss-Gail love story in Hunger Games Trilogy. It is way different than ABS-CBN’s Bridges of Love.
I can empathize with Mark. It is not easy to be in a situation for which Jamie feels compelled to accept him as her lover, but her heart longs for Steve.
Women like Jamie exist. These are the women who choose to suppress their real emotions for the one they love genuinely simply to give chance for the other.
Happily, Mark chooses to let go of Jamie and gives assurance to Steve that Jamie belongs to him.
Mark understands his love for Jamie seems real, but Jamie has no ability to reciprocate it. No one chooses who to fall with.
Improved Acting Performances
The entire Voltes team is a newbie to the showbiz industry. I have no idea who Miguel Tanfelix is (playing the lead role as Steve Armstrong).
Ysabel Ortega (Jamie Robinson) is a natural. Her role for the first few episodes is, however, forgettable.
She is often overshadowed by the likes of Dennis Trillo (Hrothgar), Carla Abellana (Mary Ann) and Albert Martinez (Dr. Richard Smith).
Ysabel’s performances improve as the story progresses into new heights. In truth, her final scenes with her dad (played by Ryan Eigenmann) are the ones I can never forget for the rest of my life.
Those scenes moved me to tears. Lucky for those Armstrong brothers that they still have their dad alive until the end, even if the brothers need to return to Planet Earth.
Raphael Landicho adds a lively entertaining performance as Little Jon. The pilot episode belongs to him when he replied to his mom that destroying the Boazanian flying saucers is like playing video games.
I notice a dip in his role as the show moves ahead. I do not know why, but I observe Little Jon is easily overshadowed by the following:
1. Love triangle scenes of Steve, Jamie and Mark (Radson Flores)
2. Big Bert’s (Matt Lozano) instant funny dialogues
3. Ava’s (Elle Villanueva) extreme jealousy of Jamie
4. New leadership of Dr. Larry Hook (Neil Patrick Sese) in Camp Big Falcon
The guest appearances of Zaki (Vaness Del Moral), Arisa (Kylie Padilla) and Takeo (Pancho Magno) are getting better. Their characterizations are not fleshed out, however, due to the way their airtimes are edited.
I seem to expect them to make the finale week, but their limited appearances are fast just like the Spin-fly technique.
Among the villains, the script that is given to Zardoz (Martin del Rosario) is repetitive. He always gets impatient when in truth, he does not create the beast fighters to conquer Earth.
He only delegates and as a result of his dictatorial leadership, he suffers a series of defeats and frustrations.
Getting to the finale, Zardoz’s role is given more depth when Emperor Zambojil (Christian Vasquez) turns his back on him.
Acting-wise, Zardoz seems tight all along. Zuhl (Epy Quizon) is my favorite villain. Epy acts smoothly, and until the moment his character died, I never saw an Epy Quizon as the actor.
I saw Zuhl, a smart but bullied villain with impressive technical skills to defeat Voltes V.
My Final Say
The following are my final key takes about Voltes V: Legacy:
Love triangle filler is necessary.
The Mark-Jamie-Steve love triangle is not present in the original anime. This means this story is an added filler in the series.
Some love it, some hate it and for those who have not experienced it say it is cringey.
Believe me when I say those fillers are not all made up. It is all true especially for those who have been in triangle.
And somehow, this is a good filler to lighten up the situation in the series. Saving the world from those beast fighters is stressful.
Beast fighters alone are boring.
TV Primetime in Philippine TV are entirely different from the US. Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers is a weekly show in the latter.
This primetime format does not work here in the Philippines. Filipino viewers prefer daily entertainment.
The disadvantage of having a show like Voltes V: Legacy as a daily primetime series is the structure of its story can get repetitively boring and tiring if it is the same to an episode of Power Rangers.
For this, I salute the writers for giving a different story angle after the pilots defeat a beast fighter.
Far from aesthetic finale
I am not sure why various scenes during the final episode are not aesthetic. Especially on those last minutes where Steve and Mark are making peace for loving the same girl.
Mark is about to leave Camp Big Falcon at peace, but his background scene is poor. The edit of this scene looks rushed.
Not all acting is stupendous.
It is understandable if not all actors and actresses are not having a stupendous performance. This is a fantasy sci-fi show.
Viewers, myself included, want action scenes with advanced CGI. Thank you a lot!
Imperfections are road to excellence.
It is not an every day habit that the Philippine TV has the right budget for a show as big as Voltes V: Legacy. This is a rare occasion, and I am glad I saw the strengths and weaknesses from pilot until the finale.
This is a clear testament that despite of its imperfections on effects and acting chops, Voltes V: Legacy is Philippines’ wide-open road to excellence.
It is not an easy decision to hire an SEO (Search Engine Optimizer).
Key Takeaways:
SEO Roles: In SEO World, roles are divided into seven. These are SEO Consultant, SEO Expert, SEO Analyst, SEO Specialist, SEO Manager, SEO Strategist, and SEO Director. Each role has specific responsibilities.
Hiring Considerations: Hiring an SEO is more about who to hire rather than where to hire. It emphasizes the importance of careful selection when hiring an SEO professional, as they become an extension of your online identity.
Trust in SEOs: SEO is a long-term strategy and warns against agencies that promise quick results, which may employ illegal marketing techniques.
Hiring an SEO is a question of who to hire than where to hire. An SEO Professional is someone who is an extension of your online identity either you hire an in-house, remote or an agency.
Whether this position is for SEO Analyst, SEO Specialist or SEO Writer, it does not matter.
You as the employer need to dig deep to find the right person for the job. Your online identity depends on who you’ll hire. In truth, hiring an SEO can be easy. There are multiple applications out there. New applicants. Experienced applicants. Name it but think twice.
SEO Professionals
SEO Consultant
An SEO consultant is an expert who provides advice and guidance to businesses on how to improve their website’s ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). They analyze website data, identify areas for improvement, and develop strategies to increase traffic and conversions (Coursera, 2023).
They also provide training to clients on how to implement SEO best practices. However, it is not their primary responsibility to implement the strategies they propose. Instead, they may work with other members of the marketing team or web development staff to ensure that the company’s website is optimized for search engine ranking.
SEO Expert
An SEO expert is a professional who specializes in optimizing websites to rank higher in online search results. They are well-versed in the world of marketing and have experience with multiple aspects of SEO, including on-page, off-page, and technical SEO.
They conduct market research, analyze industry trends, and identify opportunities for growth. They also work with other departments like marketing and sales to ensure that strategies align with overall business objectives (HubSpot, 2023).
SEO Analyst
An SEO analyst is responsible for analyzing website data to identify areas for improvement. They use tools like Google Analytics to track website traffic, user behavior, and other metrics.
They also conduct keyword research and competitor analysis to develop strategies for improving website ranking (Indeed, 2023).
SEO Specialist
An SEO specialist is responsible for implementing strategies to improve website ranking. They optimize website content, meta tags, and other on-page elements to improve search engine visibility.
They also work on link building and other off-page optimization techniques (Reliable Soft, 2021).
There are two kinds of SEO Specialists, Analysts and Experts based on seniority:
Junior SEO Specialist: A junior SEO specialist is an entry-level position in the field of SEO. They assist senior professionals in implementing SEO strategies and perform tasks like keyword research, content optimization, and link building (Indeed, 2023).
Senior SEO Specialist: A senior SEO specialist is an experienced professional who is responsible for developing and implementing advanced SEO strategies. They have a deep understanding of search engine algorithms and use this knowledge to optimize website content, meta tags, and other on-page elements (Glassdoor, 2022).
SEO Manager
An SEO manager is responsible for managing a team of SEO professionals. They develop SEO strategies, assign tasks, and monitor progress to ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget (Ahrefs, 2022).
SEO Strategist
An SEO strategist is responsible for developing long-term strategies that align with business goals. They also work with other departments like marketing and sales to ensure that SEO strategies align with overall business objectives (Why Stuff Sucks, 2022).
SEO Director
An SEO director is responsible for overseeing all aspects of an organization’s SEO strategy. They develop high-level SEO plans, set goals, and monitor progress to ensure that objectives are met. They also manage a team of SEO professionals and work with other departments like marketing and sales (Ahrefs, 2022).
Can SEOs Be Trusted
The one but the hardest question left unanswered is: Can I trust my SEO?
To come up with an answer, you as the employer need to understand the world of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is vast for the following reasons:
It is not enough to publish 10 blog articles per day.
Let’s say your SEO Writer writes these blog articles with keywords that are relevant to your business. These are well-written and well-researched articles, but these are not enough.
These articles might rank high on search engines and still, visitors who click on it to read are not guaranteed to be converted as leads.
Content creation matters. Content distribution matters more.
You need to make sure the contents in your site are what you need once you decided to hire an SEO Content Strategist.
The content marketing plan must not only include what contents to create but also where and how to distribute these contents to convert visitors into leads.
It is not all about content. It is technical too.
More employers can get frustrated with their SEO. While the strategies are mostly free, the results are slow.
SEO is for long-term results. It is impossible to expect a Page 1 rank even if you publish 10 blog articles a day.
These published articles will not convert especially if:
Your site loads slow in different devices.
In a world full of new gadgets, your website needs to function well in desktop, laptop and mobile devices such as tablet and smartphones.
It improves convert rates when your ecommerce site loads less than a second in mobile.
Your site does not support HTTPS.
The URL of your website has five parts. HTTPS is the secured and most recommended protocol.
Your target audience will feel safe buying your products and subscribe to your monthly services when they see the HTTPS protocol.
Your site has no structured data.
Structured data is one of the technical formats you put on your site for a clearer visibility on search engines.
Your SEO Analyst needs to work hand in hand with a certified web developer to solve these technical problems.
Technical SEO serves as the foundation of any website, may it be ecommerce, news or local business.
A website with high quality contents with poor technical SEO is like a house that will not sell.
The Hiring Decision
To put a long-term solution to the problems above, the selection process to hiring an SEO (Search Engine Optimizer) takes time.
The hiring decision depends on the company’s needs and preferences. If the company needs someone to work on their website optimization full-time and prefers to have someone in-house, then an in-house SEO would be a good choice (Search Engine Land, 2022).
If the company is open to remote work and wants someone who can work from home or another location outside of the office, then a remote SEO would be a better choice.
If the company needs someone to work on their website optimization on a short-term project, then partnering with an SEO Agency or freelancer by contract would be a good choice too.
Which is Better? Who is Better?
As the employer, you ask yourself these questions every day. It makes you feel stressful even.
The answers might not be simple. It all comes down to who you trust more and who can bring more results.
In-House SEOs
I was never an In-House SEO Analyst. An In-House SEO is an employee of a local company who works on optimizing the company’s website.
An In-House SEO lives nearby and works directly with a marketing team that is composed of web developer and content creators. Their employer joins them during face-to-face meetings.
In-house SEOs may report to the office or work remotely, depending on the agreement.
SEO Agency
I spent my first five years in internet marketing with an outsourcing agency. This company plays as the middleman between the SEO Writer (me) and the employer (their client).
The pattern of communication in an SEO Agency is more difficult than communicating directly with an employer.
Misinterpretation and office politics happen more often. On my part, office politics is a lot more stressful than my actual work.
It is a game that I do not want to win for I rather focus on marketing and sales.
I do not have problems with my employer before. I could connect with him well and I could understand the results he expected.
Inside the agency, reputation is improved easily. Training programs are prepared and for those who can pass the training are promoted to another position with higher salary.
The bigger problems are on the people who I learn to trust with but throw me under the bus all of a sudden.
Be extra careful hiring an agency too. An agency is no good when it gives you layers of promises and guarantees.
A remote SEO is someone who works from home or another location outside of the office.
Remote SEOs communicate with their employer living in other country through email, phone, or other means of communication (NUOPTIMA, 2022).
The best thing about being a remote SEO Analyst is the convenience of not traveling far. It is stressful to travel for someone like me with physical disability.
It is better to stay home in front of a computer to connect with employer every day.
Remote work is about trust and open communication. I use both written words and screenshots to express my ideas with my employer.
Sometimes, it gets harder due to time differences. There are projects that I get excited to work on but when emergency situations arise and I have questions, I will have to wait the next day.
SEO Freelancers
There is another variant of remote SEOs who prefer to work alone. They want to choose who their employers are and how many contractual projects they take on.
These people are called SEO Freelancers.
An SEO freelancer is someone who works independently and provides SEO services to clients on an hour basis. They work from home or another location outside of the office.
Who is better? Which is better?
While there is no perfect answer to these questions, the final answer depends on the wants and needs of an employer.
As I said earlier, SEO is for long-term results. You will not see great results tomorrow. Hiring an SEO remotely is cost-effective and a Win-Win investment.
You get what you pay for and with patience and thorough planning, your website stays number one while converts for more.
IMPORTANT: This is written with the help of AI Copilot. References are listed below:
Marketing online and marketing offline are two different things. Offline marketing existed before the discovery of the Internet.
The marketing process online is challenging. Visitors will see you through your website.
That’s why; I happened to watch a video on YouTube. It was one of the smartest videos I have seen. I have learned a lot, and below are the marketing jargons I have learned.
Hopin’ and prayin’ there is way for me to apply these marketing terms in search engine optimization.
I AM SURVIVORDEAN 