Category — Survivor

Well after a few false starts Survivor One World will finally commence on NINE on Tuesday May 15 . This has been the second time NINE have announced the start of the series as it was meant to begin two weeks ago.

In the US the show is nearing the finale so NINE have been a bit slow off the mark much to the anger of hard core Survivor fans.

The tribes of a total of 18 contestants are divided into men versus women, will have to decide whether to share their resources with each other, or leave the opposing tribe to fend for themselves.

The two tribes are Salani Tribe and the Manono Tribe, named after islands in Samoa.

Salani Tribe (Women)
Nina Acosta, 51, Clovis, Calif., retired LAPD officer
Christina Cha, 29, West Hollywood, Calif., career consultant
Monica Culpepper, 41, Tampa, ex-NFL player’s wife
Kat Edorsson, 22, Orlando, timeshare rep
Chelsea Meissner, 26, Charleston, S.C., medical sales
Kourtney Moon, 29, Austin, Texas, motorcycle repair
Alicia Rosa, 25, Chicago, special ed teacher
Kim Spradlin, 29, San Antonio, bridal shop owner
Sabrina Thompson, 33, Brooklyn, high school teacher

Manono Tribe (Men)
Jay Byars, 25, Gaffney, S.C., model
Colton Cumbie, 21, Monroeville, Ala., college student
Michael Jefferson, 30, Seattle, banker
Leif Manson, 27, San Diego, phlebotomist
Jonas Otsuji, 37, Lehi, Utah, sushi chef
Bill Posley, 28, Venice, Calif., stand-up comedian
Matt Quinlan, 33, San Francisco, attorney
Troy Robertson, 50, Miami, swimsuit photographer
Greg Smith, 64, Houston, plastic surgeon

SURVIVOR: ONE WORLD – PREMIERES TUESDAY, MAY 15, AT 10.00PM ON NINE

Yesterday I tweeted asking if anyone else wanted to go on a hunger strike with me outside Channel NINE studios with the aim of getting them to finally air Survivor: One World.

Well lo and behold I did not even have to put down my ham and cheese toastie and it was announced Survivor will be  screen on NINE in the awful timeslot of 10.30pm from May 1. Yes I am claiming victory on this one…..

As a diehard Survivor fan I am happy to take the scraps but really why is it buried in this late night timeslot.

This series is set in Samoa with the tribes split up by gender basis. Watch out for the gay republican contestant he is this season’s villain.

Survivor: One World screening on NINE from the 1st of May at 10.30pm.

On Monday February 27, as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald, Australian Survivor contestant Joel Betts pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend Samantha Holland. The incident occurred in April 2010 when he stabbed her twelve times in the back after the couple broke up in heated arguments.

Ms. Holland was taken to hospital and survived the ordeal.

Betts, who finished in 3rd place on the first and only season of Australian Survivor, is on trial for detaining and wounding his former girlfriend with the intent of murder. Details of the attack was brought forth last year during the committal hearing, where the court was told about how Betts stabbed Ms. Holland before throwing her on a couch and trying to kiss her.

The incident took place in a unit that they shared in Chippendale, Sydney.

Betts remains in custody and will return to court for sentencing on April 27.

It would be interesting to know if his anger issues were picked up in the psychological testing contestants are given before they are cast on a reality TV show.

Survivor is into its 24th season in the States (I know, right? I feel so old…).  Whilst there is no word – yet – on when it will screen here, Survivor fans can indulge their inner-nerd with this excellent guide to getting by in the game from NPR’s Monkey See blog.  As Miss Alli on Television Without Pity, Linda Holmes recapped the odd episode during the sixth season, and was then fully immersed in Survivor politics from seasons 7 through 15. That’s a lot of tribal councils…

As she says of her guide:

This is how to win Survivor, and it is not a joke — except, of course, in the sense that knowing how to win Survivor is its own cruel joke.

And yes, five is more than four.

Anthony’s preview of the season is here.

Set in Upolu, Samoa, the battle for the ‘Sole Survivor’ title returns to U.S. screens tonight on CBS with its 24th season, Survivor: One World. Though neither Nine or Go! have scheduled the program for an Australian premiere, it’s bound to get people talking for more than one reason. The premise of this season is exactly in its title. There will be two opposing tribes, but for the first time in the show’s history, both teams will be sharing one camp from the get-go and for an indefinite amount of time. I can’t be certain whether we’ll see the blurring of alliances and strategies shifting, but it’ll surely be interesting viewing.

But if you thought the limited space would make it harder to draw obvious alliances, you might need to think again because it won’t take a challenge or bandana pick to decide who’s on which team. This season, there are eighteen castaways – nine men and nine women – and the line is drawn straight down to their gender. Splitting the contestants into tribes based on gender has been employed in previous seasons and it’s certainly nothing surprising, with age and skin colour a decider for teams in other seasons as well.

With the men sticking with men and women sticking with women in one communal camp, there’s bound to be debate as to who’s the better sex! And I’m guessing the tribal lines will certainly be crossed if anyone’s in need of some ‘cosying’ up during the long, gruelling nights, sometimes without food and shelter. Who’ll be the first the sneak to the opposing team for some cuddling? It’s a diverse group, so there should be a match for everyone if they’re looking!

The ages of the castaways range from 21 to 64 and there’s also number of different ethnic backgrounds represented, which isn’t anything new for Survivor. The show’s always been quite diverse in their casting and I think the most important criteria is probably to be fit. It’s an environment where you’ll have to be both mentally and physically strong in order to get through challenges, injuries, tribal councils and back-stabbing schemes. There’s no doubt someone will cry and vow to leave the competition… There’s always at least one!

It won’t be for a while before this season hits our shores, but you could check out the list of contestants in time for when Nine picks a date:

Salani Tribe (Women)
Nina Acosta, 51, Clovis, Calif., retired LAPD officer
Christina Cha, 29, West Hollywood, Calif., career consultant
Monica Culpepper, 41, Tampa, ex-NFL player’s wife
Kat Edorsson, 22, Orlando, timeshare rep
Chelsea Meissner, 26, Charleston, S.C., medical sales
Kourtney Moon, 29, Austin, Texas, motorcycle repair
Alicia Rosa, 25, Chicago, special ed teacher
Kim Spradlin, 29, San Antonio, bridal shop owner
Sabrina Thompson, 33, Brooklyn, high school teacher

Manono Tribe (Men)
Jay Byars, 25, Gaffney, S.C., model
Colton Cumbie, 21, Monroeville, Ala., college student
Michael Jefferson, 30, Seattle, banker
Leif Manson, 27, San Diego, phlebotomist
Jonas Otsuji, 37, Lehi, Utah, sushi chef
Bill Posley, 28, Venice, Calif., stand-up comedian
Matt Quinlan, 33, San Francisco, attorney
Troy Robertson, 50, Miami, swimsuit photographer
Greg Smith, 64, Houston, plastic surgeon

(Yeah, I don’t know what a phlebotomist is either!)

It should be an interesting season and even if the twists and tribe dynamics don’t hook you in, you could just watch it for the babes and hotties. With the tribes obviously divided, it would be easy to focus on your preferred gender!

Check out the cast photos here:
Survivor: One World Castaways – Photo Gallery – E! Online

Medical student Sophie won Survivor South Pacific last night getting more votes from the jury then Coach and Albert.

Personally I found all of the final three, actually make that the final five unlikeable. However Sophie did play a strong game both physically and strategically. Coach was never going to win, as he his always gibbering about code and honour but he was instrumental in eliminating quite a few of the jury.

Ozzy he has been sitting at Redemption Island for most of the series beat Brandon to get back in, however the alliance Coach had with Ozzy was extremely fragile as he was eliminated again…..

the other lowlight of the finale was the return of Russel Hantz giving his opinion about Brendon’s game play, OK giving up the immunity necklace was stupid, but genetically there are not a lot of brains in that family.

Who do you think should have won?

Here is Jeff Probst’s take on the finale.

Also here is an interview with Coach bitching about Ozzy, and interview with Ozzy who is probably bitching about Coach. Also here is a interview with winner Sophie.

This series started off well out of the gates, but ended with a bit of whimper as the only people left were quite unlikeable.

The $60 million question is which Survivor contestant is God talking to? Is it Coach or Brandon? Seriously when people hear voices they are normally thought to be mentally unwell, however this is never the case when God is talking to you.

However Brandon made a total faux pas last night on Survivor when he gave away his immunity necklace to Albert to prove his loyalty. Coach, Rik and Sophie then voted him out. Hello didn’t he see the season when this happened to ice cream scooper Erik?

Albert appears to be on the outer when he managed to get Rik (he speaks) fired up because his neck was on the line.

Whoever is wins the challenge between him and Ozzie on Redemption Island next episode must be back in the game otherwise it will be totally unfair.

If Rik gets in the top three he could win as he has not turned on anyone yet, but Coach who has played a strong game is starting to look shaky as he has made some moves in the last few episodes against players. Considering he saw himself as Brandon’s ‘mentor’ it seems strange that he turned on him.

Survivor host Jeff Probst has married his girlfriend of a year Lisa Ann Russell in a private ceremony in LA.

This is the second marriage for Jeff Probst, 50, who divorced his first wife in 2001. Lisa Anna Russell has also been married before and has two children.

Congratulations…..I think.

Source: (NY Daily News)

Interesting move by Cochran, throwing himself at the mercy of his tribe mates at the beginning of the episode, saying since he switched he would like to stick around for one more tribal council. Though playing the fake birthday was a nice touch.

It was going to be between him and Edna on who was to go. For a person like him who has lived and breathed Survivor, I thought he would have tried to make a move by forming a new alliance with Edna and Albert who are itching to make a move.

He should know more then anyone there are no honourable acts in Survivor particularly at the pointy end of the competition.

Thankfully before tribal council he did try and form a new alliance with Edna, Albert and Coach. Edna was easy as she knew she was next to go, and Albert’s ego was bruised when he heard Rik was calling him Princess Albert. Coach was wondering whether to throw his hat in with the new alliance or stick with the old one. He did not want to be seen as treacherous.

Albert is doing everything to shore up jury votes, except do any work around camp. He won immunity and a massage and shower, but with these there is always a catch as he got to pick one other person to do it with him. He picked Coach, but then gave up his spot so Cochran could have one as well.

Tribal Council as always was interesting, with Brandon again revealing his inner nutjob.

Brandon said “I want to do wrong things, I am only human, but there is something in me that won’t let me.” Is he insane? Why is he still in the game? Clearly he will go final three as he has no hope of winning.

Brendan also revealed he would not be flipping alliances, probably because he could not get his head around it.

As Cochran said “Talking strategy with Brandon is like talking to you [Jeff Probst] about shirts that are not blue – he just does not comprehend it, it is not in his vocabulary.”

Cochran was eliminated, clearly Coach who had said he would be doing anything to save him, decided he wasn’t going to flip into a new alliance, and he was off to Redemption Island.

Ozzy who beat Dawn and Whitney in a balancing challenge, will face off against Cochran next week, and it will truly be a David versus Goliath battle. However I can’t see Cochran winning, nor does Ozzy.

By the way if Rik wins this season he must get in the record books for the Survivor winner with the least amount of air time.

Here is the EW blog with Jeff Probst who answers questions about the episode.

Since we only had a highlights package from Survivor South Pacific we have to wait to see who will be the next two kicked off Redemption Island will Ozzie prevail and knock out Dawn and Whitney?

Also will Albert and Sophie make a move on Coach?

Anyway while you mull over those weighty questions here is an interview with the executive producer David Burris and he answers the questions we all want to know about it.

Well except if Jeff Probst has a girlfriend.

The interview from TV WEEK:

What is your criteria when selecting a location for Survivor?

It’s a combination of things. The most important thing is the location going to serve creatively? Is it pretty visually? Is it going to look good on HD from a cinematography point of view? We want to go to cool places that seem adventurous and fun and look great. [We also look at the local culture] to see what we can incorporate into tribal council and challenges to make them look cool and interesting.

Do you have to pay filming fees to local governments?

We’ve been in places that were national parks, provincial parks or state parks, and that is a different agreement we have to strike up with local or national governments. We’ve also been in places that were almost totally privately owned, so we’ve had to make arrangements with several landowners.

Do you want to come back and film in Australia?

We’ve thought about coming back…. maybe to Far North Queensland, for somewhere tropical.

Or the desert?

I would love to do that! We’ve really only shot one desert location, in the Brazilian Highlands (Tocantins), and that ended up being one of our most beautiful seasons.

Where does host Jeff Probst stay?

Jeff has this huge airship like a blimp, and he’s completely decked out…, no, I’m kidding! (laughs) I like the idea that he gets lifted up into the sky. The contestants wonder if that’s the case: is he teleported in? But his crib is the same as the rest of the crew.

Do the contestants ever ask the medical crew for things like panadol?

They will ask. And it’s like, “Well, you have a headache because you haven’t been boiling enough water and you’re not drinking enough – it’s called ‘Survivor!’” They they’ll say, “We’re hungry, we’ve got a headache” and [the crew] say, “Go catch a fish!”

Do the contestants ever ask the camera crew for food?

Sometimes, in jest, a producer might say, “Come on, it’s time to do an interview” and they’ll respond with, “I’ll do an interview if you give me a granola bar!”