A certain friend of mine, let's call him R. Austin. No, that's too obvious. Let's call him Ryan A. Anyway; he really enjoys reality TV. But other than the first season of Survivor and every permutation of American Idol (those kids are so earnest), I've never really gotten into the genre. I tried with the Martha Stewart Apprentice fiasco, but stopped watching when it became obvious that psychotic Jim was never, ever going to leave.

So, it was surprising to find myself caught up in the now-finished Ultimate Blogger. Run by Steve, Mike and Jona of URBN*HNKG, an art-collective blog, the competition pitted 12 contestants against each other in a Survivor-style battle to the finish. Immunity was given, twists were twirled, and when it was all said and done, the two finalists were revealed to be roommates.

Well, that contest was so popular, or the idea of submitting more people to tribal machinations so appealing, that they've launched Ultimate Blogger 2. The season has only just started with the first challenge wrapping today.

If you've clicked those links, you might notice another reason I'm writing about it - that's right, I'm one of the contestants and not above shameless self-promotion. But apart from my involvement, you should definitely check out the other contestant's entries; if only to hear the phrase "Put glasses on a dog and make him look like a genius."

Until I'm voted off, bLink will be on hiatus. Which means I could be back as early as next Monday. Peace out homestyles.

Thom Wong is a law student who spends an unreasonable amount of time online. His 40 bLinks column runs every Monday and Thursday on The Tyee.

What's he all about? Click here.

For previous 40 bLinks, click here.