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Every episode of “Survivor” ends with a player getting voted out, but in a twist tonight, there were two.

The seventh episode of Season 48, titled “Survivor Smack Talk,” had remaining players deal with the ramifications of finally merging and living together on one beach as the game shifted from a team-focused endeavor to a more individual one.

At the challenge, Jeff Probst, the longtime host of the reality competition show on air since 2000, revealed a twist: There would be two players winning individual immunity, and two tribal councils. Thus, two players would have their torches snuffed, ending their $1 million dream.

Here’s who was voted off the island this week.

Who went home on ‘Survivor’ Season 48, Episode 7?

The challenge’s premise was simple: Players had to use their grip strength to hold up a bucket attached to a rope containing 25% of their pre-game weight. If they dropped the bucket and shattered a tile below, they were out.

Players were divided into two teams, and Probst revealed another twist. The last person standing from each team would win individual immunity, and the last person standing overall would win peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the tribe, and more importantly, the second slot at tribal council. That meant the player voted out would be the first to join the jury.

One by one, players dropped out of the challenge until only Joe Hunter and David Kinne remained in an epic showdown lasting nearly an hour, which broke the challenge’s previous record held by Season 43 winner Mike Gabler. David outlasted Joe, winning the food reward and the coveted second tribal council.

Back at the beach, players in Joe’s group were debating whether to send either Mitch Guerra or Sai Hughley home, seeing Mitch’s inspiring story as a threat and Sai’s strong personality as a hinderance. Knowing he was potentially on the chopping block, Mitch used his “block-a-vote” advantage, blocking Sai’s vote and ensuring she would not write his name down.

His plan worked, and Sai, a 30-year-old marketing professional living in Simi Valley, California, became the first of two players voted out this episode.

Before the second tribal council, players in David’s group debated between either voting out Cedrek McFadden or Shauhin Davari. In an attempt to break up a solid alliance, Kyle Fraser and Kamilla Karthigesu attempted to plant a story to David that Shauhin had found a hidden immunity idol, which he had not.

Though David began to distrust Shauhin, it was Cedrek who received the majority of votes at tribal council, and the 46-year-old surgeon living in Greenville, South Carolina, became the second person voted out this episode and the first member of the jury who will vote on the eventual winner.

‘Survivor’ Season 48 cast: Meet the 18 castaways hoping to win $1 million in Fiji

Who went home last week on ‘Survivor’ Season 48?

Seven players competed in the immunity portion of the challenge, including Sai, who had won the advantage. Contestants had to balance a ball on a circular platform connected to a pole they were holding, and had to gradually add more length to the pole as time went on. One by one players dropped until Kyle Fraser was the last man standing, winning himself the first individual immunity of the season.

At the merge feast with the seven winning players, Sai threw out Eva Erickson’s name as a contender for going home, because of the well-known fact that Eva had an idol.

Others, turned off by Sai’s aggressive gameplay and blunt personality, started making plans to vote her out, while others began gunning for Charity, also because of her strong style of gameplay.

There was some hope that Eva would play her individual immunity idol, flushing it from the game, but she didn’t take the bait and no votes were cast against her.

In the end, Charity, a 34-year-old flight attendant living in St. Petersburg, Florida, received the majority of votes and became the sixth person voted out of the game.

How to watch ‘Survivor’ Season 48

Season 48 of “Survivor” airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET / PT on CBS and streams on Paramount+ for subscribers of the Paramount+ with Showtime plan.

Episodes can be streamed the next day for subscribers of any Paramount+ plan.

The previous 47 seasons of the show are all available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription.

Watch every season of Survivor on Paramount+

Who is the host of ‘Survivor’?

Jeff Probst has hosted all 48 seasons of the show, which has been on the air since 2000. He also serves as an executive producer.

‘Survivor’ 50: Jeff Probst talks casting all-stars season, whether he’d play ‘Traitors’

Who won ‘Survivor’ Season 47?

Rachel Lamont won Season 47 of “Survivor,” in a 7-1-0 vote against Sam Phalen, who got one vote, and Sue Smey.

Lamont, a 34-year-old graphic designer from Southfield, Michigan, was originally on the Gata tribe and became the fifth woman ever to win four individual Immunity Challenges in a season.

Where is ‘Survivor’ filmed?

While “Survivor” previously took contestants to remote locations around the world, from the Pearl Islands to the Philippines and Guatemala, the show has been filmed in the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji for the past 15 seasons.

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Jennifer Lopez is returning to her musical roots after a canceled tour and subsequent divorce from actor Ben Affleck last year.

The “Hustlers” actress will host and perform during the American Music Awards on May 26, or Memorial Day, which will air on CBS. “Good things come in threes
JLO. AMA. CBS. On 5.26.25,” the singer wrote on Instagram, with a teaser promo video.

The news comes a decade after her hosting debut in 2015.

Now, the multi-hyphenate star will take the reins of the awards show again after first teasing the possibility during last fall’s “American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special.”

The gig arrives after a tumultuous year for the A-lister.

Last May, Lopez revealed in a note to fans that she was canceling her North American tour, writing she was “completely heartsick and devastated about letting you down.”

She added: Please know that I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t feel that it was absolutely necessary. I promise I will make it up to you and we will all be together again. I love you all so much. Until next time…”

Then, on Aug. 20, the star surprised fans again when she filed to divorce the “Good Will Hunting” alum Affleck in Los Angeles Superior Court, according to court filings obtained by USA TODAY at the time.

The pair, who were previously engaged to each other in 2002 and later in 2021, delighted fans when they reunited after respective splits. It marks the second marriage for Affleck and the fourth for Lopez.

‘Oh, it was a summer’: Jennifer Lopez addresses divorce with cryptic IG post

Later this year, Lopez is slated to star in her first movie musical “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” a buzzy reimagined version of 1985 movie of the same name and Tony Award-winning musical from 1993. The film premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January.

“Kiss of the Spider Woman” is originally a 1976 novel written by Argentine author Manuel Puig, which depicts daily conversations between two cellmates in prison.

Contributing: KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY

When the railways ploughed into the centres of cities in the 19th century they left in their wake dark, sooty labyrinths of brick-encased tunnels, arches and vaults. Now these old, time-stained arches look almost like something from another civilisation.

Dirty, noisy, and often accessed via narrow alleyways, railway arches have been, for most of the modern era, cheap real estate, often occupied by businesses that we would also rather not see or hear: garages, workshops, wholesale markets, clubs, miscellaneous dodgy enterprises. But, akin to the Roman aqueducts, they have their own kind of grandeur.  

In Milan, Dropcity is a visionary reimagining of 40,000 sq m of railway infrastructure down the side of the city’s Centrale Station, along the Via Sammartini. It is created as a hub for making for those who struggle to afford studio rents in the world’s capital of design, together with a public exhibition, events and workshop space — and a drop-in design and technology lab for amateur enthusiasts. This month, 18 vaults, with a minimal white finish, new concrete floors and slick lighting, are welcoming visitors with an inaugural exhibition and events programme — an opening that dovetails with Milan Design Week. Twelve more vaults will be completed next year.

The idea is down to architect-entrepreneur Andrea Caputo. In 2018, Caputo embarked on a series of complex negotiations with both the municipality of Milan and Grandi Stazioni Retail, which managed the space. He had noticed a gap between the upscale but temporary spaces created for Milan’s design and fashion weeks, and the day-to-day world of the designers themselves. In some ways, it was understandable: “Why would [somebody rent their] building to designers,” he says, “when in a few days over fashion week or design week [they] can get the big brands to come in, and make as much money as [they] would from a whole year of rent to a studio?” Railway arches, he decided, were the solution — and a new opportunity. 

Milan has “the highest density of architects and designers in Europe: there are 12,000 architects practising here.” Caputo says. “But what is missing is the culture of doing things for yourself, a sense of making things. There are very few workshops and rent is expensive. This is an opportunity for us to get our hands dirty.”

Ironically, these historic vaults now look remarkably clean. Last year, they test-opened to the public during Milan’s design week: they were dark, raw and dirty, their brickwork and concrete stained by decades of use and neglect — a theatrical backdrop for high-tech machines and crisp new designs. “The last time the vaults were used,” Caputo says, “was as a fish market. And that was abandoned 40 years ago.”  

Today, they have been transformed into what Caputo refers to as “labs”. With 400 desks complete with ergonomic seating and monitors, as well as workshops, meeting rooms and drafting rooms, they are ready to welcome their first occupants. Alongside workshops for both high and low-tech craft are studios for photography, video and audio recording. There is also a materials library with products categorised in terms of environmental impact, and a study centre for upcycling.

The parade of arches is interconnected, so that exhibition visitors can weave through from one to the other, occasionally snaking back out to the street. A show on French architects Bruther, and one on the architecture of detention centres, are both on until the end of May. 

But Dropcity is more than this — it is effectively a new neighbourhood, promising to bring life to a street that was once a traffic-choked thoroughfare. Caputo’s team has also redesigned the public spaces, with a new cycle lane, paving and planting. The new, more leisurely pace allows walkers to take in the solid stone fronts and delicate wrought ironwork of the arches. It being Milan, there is of course a café, and a restaurant will be completed by autumn. 

Caputo shows me a map of the distribution of designers working in Milan. Unlike in almost any city I can think of, they are not concentrated in a single neighbourhood, a hipster enclave or a post-industrial quarter, but rather spread evenly all over the city. 

“Milan has some wonderful institutions, like the Triennale [museum of art and design],” Caputo says, “but the network is very disconnected, there is no daily exchange to provoke interactions.” Dropcity hopes to change that.  At its centre is a new public library of books about architecture and design, integrated with the city’s public library system. “There has never been such a thing,” he says.

What is missing in Milan is the culture of doing things for yourself, a sense of making things. There are few workshops and rent is expensive. This is an opportunity for us to get our hands dirty

Having managed to acquire the archive of renowned graphic designer and writer Italo Lupi (1934-2023) creator of, among other things, logos for Miu Miu and Fiorucci, Caputo also hopes this will be the start of an expanding design archive of international interest.

But who, I ask, has funded this huge venture? “Well,” he laughs, “me.” He is very far from an oligarch, though, he says, and what he means is that he has scraped together funding from various institutions including universities ETH Zurich, SCI-Arch LA and London’s Central Saint Martins. He does, I note, look a little tired. It seems a remarkable achievement. The next question, though, in this city in which design is elevated to a religion, is who is it for?

“It’s for everyone,” Caputo says. “We have workspaces set up for designers with double screens and large desks. But if people just want to use the library, they can. And we have access to very modern machines like five-axis CNC arms [for carving forms out of solid material] which designers or students can hire very cheaply — machines they would not have access to [otherwise].”

It is not just for professional designers. “It’s an absolutely public project,” he says. “You might be doing up your kitchen and you can rent workshop space here, cutting out surfaces or making cabinets. Monday to Friday, nine to five, it’s for professionals. At the weekends it’s for families and kids, encouraging them into design. There are ceramic workshops, screen printing, textile and glass labs. It’s all here.”

The diversity of users promises to make this a place of unexpected interactions and inspirations. There is much here that other cities could learn from: they are always dotted with unused or underused space. Perhaps it just takes an architect to spot them. And then an epic amount of vision, energy and collaboration to bring them back to life.  

dropcity.org

Edwin Heathcote is the FT’s architecture and design critic

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Harvey Weinstein appeared in court Wednesday for a pretrial conference ahead of a New York state court case that will rehash some of the defining accusations of the #MeToo era.

The disgraced Hollywood boss is headed to a retrial this month in legal proceedings that will largely mimic his original 2020 rape and assault state trial, with one additional charge based on an allegation from a woman who was not part of the first trial.

The retrial will cover two charges of assault and one of rape stemming from allegations by three different women: two who allege Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex in 2006 and one who alleges he raped her in 2013.

A New York appeals court overturned Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction last April, finding that the judge in his case erred by admitting “irrelevant” testimony from women whose allegations were not a part of the case. He was granted a retrial and pleaded not guilty in September.

In court Wednesday, prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office revealed Weinstein’s trial is expected to last four to six weeks, according to ABC News. Judge Curtis Farber said jury selection is scheduled to begin Tuesday, and the process may last up to five days.

Per ABC, Weinstein sat at the defense table in a wheelchair. The movie mogul, who has been hospitalized for various health issues amid his jail time, reportedly told a judge in January that he didn’t “know how much longer (he) can hold on.”

Weinstein will not be required to testify in his defense case, ABC News and The Associated Press report.

Judge Farber ruled that if he were to take the stand, Weinstein can be asked by prosecutors about his 2022 California rape conviction but not “the nature of the crimes or underlying facts.”

Harvey Weinstein asks for early retrial: Movie mogul is ‘holding on’ amid health issues

Harvey Weinstein attorneys, prosecutors argue over potential witness, trial start date

The legal redo’s kickoff, set for April 15, was challenged in court Wednesday due to a dispute over witness selection. In the months leading up to his retrial, Weinstein, who continues to serve a 16-year prison sentence stemming from his California rape conviction, urged a judge in New York to start his trial sooner amid health concerns.

According to the AP, Weinstein’s attorneys and prosecutors argued over the trial participation of an assistant district attorney. The unnamed lawyer allegedly took notes during a 2020 interview with the new Weinstein accuser, who was not part of the film producer’s first trial.

Weinstein’s legal team said they might call the assistant district attorney as a witness, per AP, as the defense said the accuser’s previous grand jury testimony about Weinstein using physical force on her differed from details shared in the 2020 interview.

Prosecutors said they would request to delay the trial by 60 days if an agreement on the notes dispute can’t be reached, AP reports.

Requesting a speedier retrial in late January, Weinstein said he was “holding on because I want justice for myself and because I want this to be over with,” according to The Associated Press and ABC News. Weinstein’s established medical problems include chronic myeloid leukemia (bone marrow cancer), diabetes, coronary artery disease, obstructive sleep apnea, thyroid issues, obesity, high blood pressure and chronic back pain.

Harvey Weinstein indicted in New York on additional charges

Judge allows rape accuser to use the word ‘force’ in testimony on Harvey Weinstein assault

Judge Farber, who previously ruled that an accuser of Weinstein’s was prohibited from using the word “force” in court testimony, said Wednesday that the woman can now use the language during Weinstein’s retrial, according to The Associated Press.

Per AP, Farber said a review of case law led him to the conclusion that it would be “unreasonable to put limits on how she describes what she says happened.”

In Weinstein’s 2020 sex crimes trial, former actress Jessica Mann testified he raped her in his New York hotel room in 2013. Her accusations led to the movie mogul being convicted of rape in the third degree, a verdict that was later overturned by a New York appeals court in April 2024.

Attorneys for Weinstein argued on Wednesday that letting the woman testify that he used physical force during their encounter at a Manhattan hotel could result in a disclosure to the jury about Weinstein’s acquittal of a first-degree rape charge in the 2020 trial, per AP.

In response, Farber said Weinstein’s legal team can challenge the woman’s account of Weinstein’s alleged rape on cross examination, adding that a jury instruction could also be introduced to clear up any confusion, AP reports.

Following his original conviction in the 2020 trial, Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison. He is being held in New York until the retrial is complete.

Weinstein’s cases in New York and California, which helped galvanize the #MeToo movement and spurred a reckoning in the entertainment industry, were part of a larger wave of allegations against the movie mogul.

Contributing: Taijuan Moorman, Brendan Morrow, KiMi Robinson, Patrick Ryan and Maria Puente, USA TODAY

Mike White has been tapping into his “Survivor” roots since the debut of “The White Lotus,” and Season 3 is no different.

“The White Lotus” creator and writer was scheming and competing his way through one of the more popular seasons of “Survivor” three years before the social satire debuted on HBO to widespread critical acclaim.

White, a well-known “Survivor” superfan, made it clear in interviews and confessionals during Season 37 airing in 2018 that appearing on the long-running reality competition series was no mere branding gimmick, but a lifelong dream. A reality television junkie, White had by then already appeared twice on another CBS series, “The Amazing Race,” with his dad Mel.

While White did not win the $1 million prize during the 2018 season and came in second, receiving only three votes at the final tribal council compared to Nick Wilson’s seven, the experience appears to have had a lasting effect on him. In the years following “Survivor: David vs. Goliath,” White has invited a few of his fellow “Survivor” castaways to make cameos on the Emmy-winning show, which he not only created, but also writes and directs every episode.

Here’s who made an appearance on Season 3 of “The White Lotus” from the “Survivor’s” cast.

Mike White on ‘Survivor’: Recapping ‘White Lotus’ creator’s journey (Hint: He almost won)

Natalie Cole

Natalie Cole appeared in the first episode of Season 3 of “The White Lotus” alongside fellow “Survivor” alum Carl Boudreaux.

The duo were seen dining at the hotel’s restaurant with Natasha Rothwell’s Belinda waving to them as she walks by. Later, as Belinda is speaking to her son over the phone, she recalls the moment, excitedly telling him she “saw two Black people tonight, and they weren’t staff!”

On “Survivor,” Cole was a member of the Goliath tribe who was eliminated before the merge, with White casting the deciding vote to send her off.

Carl Boudreaux

Boudreaux was seen dining with fellow “Survivor” contestant Natalie Cole in Episode 1 of Season 3 of “The White Lotus.” When Natasha Rothwell’s Belinda waves to him, he turns his head to acknowledge her as well.

Boudreaux is the first David tribe member to make it to “The White Lotus.” He voted for Wilson to win the season.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

Christian Hubicki

Robotics scientist Hubicki and his real-life partner Emily made a quick blink-and-miss-it appearance in Season 3, Episode 5 of “The White Lotus.” The two were seen drinking and laughing at a club outside the resort during a transition scene.

On “Survivor,” Hubicki began as a David, but ended up joining many alliances, including one with White and Merlino called Strikeforce. He eventually voted for White to win in the finale.

Which ‘Survivor’ cast members were part of previous seasons?

Season 1

• Alec Merlino as Hutch, a waiter and bartender at the White Lotus Resort & Spa Maui.

Season 2

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.

Whether you’re at an extravagant party or home on your couch, you can find a way to rock in the new year.

The major networks will once again ring in New Year’s Day with live shows from Times Square in New York City and plenty of bands to keep the party going all night long, or at least keep you dancing in your pajamas. Or if you want to try do different, plenty movie and TV marathons will pull you into the new year.

So before you commit to your New Year’s resolutions to work out more or eat healthier, say goodbye to 2019 with these TV treats.

New Year’s Eve parties

The networks know how to throw a New Year’s Eve party from Times Square, and this year will be no exception.

Ryan Seacrest is once again hosting “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2020” (ABC, 8 EST/PST and  11:30 EST/PST) with co-host Lucy Hale (“Pretty Little Liars”). They’ll be joined by Ciara, who is taking over hosting duties in Los Angeles, and Billy Porter (“Pose”) hosting the party in New Orleans. Artists performing on the show include Post Malone, BTS and Usher.

Steve Harvey is back for a third year as host of Fox’s “New Year’s Eve with Steve Harvey: Live from Times Square” (8 EST/PST and  11 EST/PST), with Tyga, The Lumineers, Florida Georgia Line and The Killers. Harvey shares hosting duties with first-time co-host and former NFL star Rob Gronkowski, along with  Maria Menounos.

Over on NBC, Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager offer “A Toast to 2019” (8 EST/PST). Later, Carson Daly returns to host “New Year’s Eve Special 2020” (10 EST/PST and 11:30 EST/PST). Performers include Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton and Julianne Hough. Keith Urban anchors coverage from Music City Midnight in Nashville, Tennessee.

If cable is more your thing, check out CNN, which will once again have journalist Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen (“What Happens Next”) helming coverage beginning at 8 EST/5 PST. The show features performances by Lenny Kravitz and Patti LaBelle until 12:30 a.m. EST/9:30 PST, when anchors Brooke Baldwin and Don Lemon take over to ring in the new year for inthe Central time zone with a “Music City Midnight Celebration” from Nashville.  

TV marathons

If partying isn’t your thing, there are still plenty of options to watch from your couch.

Catch up on one of fall’s best new series as CBS airs three episodes of “Evil” (8 EST/PST). The show follows a skeptic (Katja Herbers, “Westworld”) and a believer (Mike Colter, “Luke Cage”) who investigate religious oddities.

“Schitt’s Creek,” which earned its first Emmy nominations this year, will have a marathon on Pop (noon EST/9 PST). Catch up on the series about a down-and-out wealthy family living in a small town before its sixth and final season starts on Jan. 7.

A famous – or rather infamous – show this year was “Game of Thrones,” which ended after eight seasons. Relive the last season of the fantasy drama series on HBO2 (noon EST/PST), if you can handle it.

OWN will air the entire first season of its just-renewed drama “David Makes Man” (1 p.m. EST/PST), from Oscar winner Tarell Alvin McCraney (“Moonlight”). 

With the decade coming to a close, check out one of the most successful movie franchises of the past 10 years with “The Hunger Games” franchise on AMC (9 a.m. EST/PST). The four-movie marathon starts with the first, from 2012, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson as two contestants in a fight to the death.

And if you want to go back further, Syfy hosts a marathon of the classic television series “The Twilight Zone” beginning at 6 a.m. EST/PST, including episodes written and narrated by the legendary Rod Serling.

Rose Parade, more on New Year’s Day

After a night partying, it’s nice to crawl out of bed and snuggle up on your couch in your pajamas with NBC’s “131st Rose Parade” (Wednesday 11:30 EST/8:30 PST) from Pasadena, California, with hosts Hoda Kotb and Al Roker. Floats in the annual parade traditionally are covered with flowers, plants and even seeds, with vibrant colors and incredible displays. Actresses Rita Moreno (“One Day at a Time”) and Gina Torres (“Suits”), and Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez serve as this year’s grand marshals.

Later that day it’s  ESPN’s Rose Bowl (5 EST/2 PST) college football game between the Oregon Ducks and Wisconsin Badgers, followed by the Sugar Bowl (8:45 EST/5:45 PST) as the Baylor Bears face off against the Georgia Bulldogs.

And if football isn’t your thing, check out the new season of “Doctor Who,” which kicks off at 8 EST/PST on BBC America. This marks Jodie Whittaker’s second season in the iconic role of the Doctor, who travels through time and space.

Netflix launches two new series on New Year’s Day. “Messiah” follows a CIA agent investigating a cult leader, and “Spinning Out” is a drama series about the world of competitive skating, starring Kaya Scodelario (“Skins”), January Jones (“Mad Men”) and professional skater Johnny Weir.

What if a red balloon stood between you and the potential love of your life?

A new iteration of the viral online series “Pop The Balloon Or Find Love” will air live on Netflix this week. In the show, executive produced by original creators Arlette Amuli and Bolia Matundu, a red balloon stands between the hopeful daters and true love.

“Pop The Balloon LIVE” will be hosted by actress and comedian Yvonne Orji.

“After playing the ‘unlucky in love’ Molly Carter for five seasons on ‘Insecure,’ I know a thing or two about looking for love in a hopeless place,” Orji told Netflix. “Hopefully, the singles on ‘Pop the Balloon LIVE’ will have much more success.”

Here’s what we know about “Pop the Ballon LIVE.”

Netflix’s ‘Bad Influence’: Where are YouTuber Piper Rockelle, momager Tiffany Smith now?

When does ‘Pop the Balloon LIVE’ come out?

“Pop the Balloon LIVE” will debut on Netflix on April 10 at 8 p.m. ET and air live on Thursdays weekly.

How does the ‘Pop the Balloon’ speed dating experiment work?

“Pop the Balloon LIVE” is a new take on the popular YouTube series while keeping the familiar format. If a contestant’s balloon is popped, so is the chance for a romantic connection.

“Participants line up, and others ‘pop the balloon’ of those they’re not interested in, essentially eliminating them from the dating pool,” the streaming service said. “The live version will bring eliminations, unpredictable dilemmas, and unfiltered romance straight to viewers.”

Original creators say the ‘Pop the Balloon’ YouTube version ‘will stay the same’

Creators Arlette Amuli and Bolia Matundu(BM) reassure fans that the YouTube version, “Pop The Balloon or Find Love,” will continue.

“Everything will stay the same. The way I produce the show. The way my wife hosts the show will stay exactly the same,” Matundu said.

Amuli added, ” We just ask for you guys to support both of our ventures. ‘Pop The Balloon’ on YouTube and ‘Pop The Balloon LIVE’ on Netflix. We honestly can’t wait to see where this is going to go.”

Who’s in the ‘Pop the Balloon LIVE’ cast?

According to Netflix, fans can expect to see familiar faces on the show from other popular reality shows, including “Too Hot To Handle” and “The Challenge.” The guests include:

• Zaina Sesay
• Chase DeMoor
• Farrah Abraham
• Johnny Bananas

Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected].

NEW YORK – Sarah Catherine Hook, the actress who played Piper Ratliff on Season 3 of HBO’s “The White Lotus,” lived in fear for a year and a half. She knew how the season ended, but couldn’t say a word.

Hook, 29, is now free to speak her mind. She immediately addresses a rumor about how show creator Mike White allegedly prevented spoilers

“I knew Lachlan ultimately was not gonna die, even though watching him die for a second was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to see,” Cook says of co-star Sam Nivola. “It was a stunning sequence of a spiritual death. But no, I’m pretty sure there were not multiple endings.”

Fresh off Sunday’s much-talked-about finale and just two weeks shy of her 30th birthday, Cook stops by USA TODAY to dish on viral catchphrases, deleted scenes and her character’s “sobering” finale moment.

Hook reveals the origins of ‘Piper, no!’

Hook says that White and Parker Posey, who played her mom Victoria, created the infamous, “Piper, no!” phrase between takes on set.

“I’ve been so looking forward to talking about this,” she says, before explaining: “While we were there on set, (Posey) was ‘Piper, no’-ing me the entire time. Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) would say a dirty joke, and (Posey would) be like, ‘Ha ha Saxon, oh my God.’ And then she would just look at me out of nowhere. I’m like, ‘What?’ And she’s like, ‘Piper.’ And then Mike would come over and he would just look at me and be like, ‘Piper, no.’

“You guys are all new to ‘Piper, no.’ But this has been with me from the beginning.”

Hook notes that the phrase reveals an interesting dynamic among Victoria and Piper. “Saxon is being so obnoxious, yet he’s getting all of this love,” she says, “whereas Piper is literally just existing and it’s that trope of disciplining her daughter. Like, ‘Sit still, look pretty. Don’t have any opinions. Just be pretty.’ I think it’s great.”

Hook ‘blacked out’ filming spiel about being spoiled

Like many shows, “The White Lotus” was filmed out of sequence. In a pivotal scene in the season finale, Piper comes to the realization that her plan to stay at a monastery for a year and study Buddhism isn’t going to work.

“I know I’m not supposed to be attached to this kind of stuff,” Piper says after listing her gripes with the monastery, including the lack of air conditioning or organic food. “But I think I am.”

It’s a watershed moment for the character (and just as Victoria predicted when she told her daughter to sleep there for the night): Piper is self-aware of her spoiled upbringing but is unwilling to change. For Hook, the scene proved challenging beyond the script.

“It was one of my first few scenes that I filmed,” she says. “I hadn’t even really met the (character) yet. “It was one of the most stressful, anxiety induced days of my life because I was like, ‘This is her biggest moment in the show.’ And I’m still figuring out who she is.

“I think I blacked out that day,” she continues with a laugh. “I was so nervous about the outcome of (the scene) and I feel very proud of it, so thank God.”

Hook addresses Piper losing her virginity

White revealed after the finale that he originally planned for Piper to lose her virginity at the resort to Belinda’s son Zion (Nicholas Duvernay). But the scenes were cut from the episode for storyline and timing reasons. While Hook says she was “gutted” that the moment didn’t make the finale, she agrees with White’s reasoning.

“(White) made the best decision by not putting (the sex scenes) in because it would’ve been a rom-com,” Hook says. “It was her rom-com moment.”

Hook estimates that in all, about seven scenes were cut. “I really hope I get to see the short film of it one day, because they were really funny scenes,” she says. “Piper needs to have her party girl era. It’s time to go for her.”