Survivor Dish

Survivor - The Premiere!

2008-09-25T16:46:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! :)

Just wanted to give you a heads up that I decided to consolidate everything this season into one site, so all Survivor posts will happen on BBDish... Just easier for everyone to find us that way.

Come on over!!

Click Here to get there.

Survivor: Fans v Faves - The Finale!

2008-05-11T16:41:00.000-07:00

I can't even believe it's finale night already. This season of Survivor has gone way too fast for me, but don't they all? In addition to being a treat because of the faves aspect, for me it was just a nice break in the midst of the BB madness every week...

...and then there's the female empowerment aspect of the whole thing. These women definitely outplayed, outlasted and outsmarted their male counterparts... especially last week - Ouch! Gotta love it. Finally! Who are you rooting for tonight?

See ya in the comments... :) It's going to be a long night of Survivor! Yayyyy!

Survivor Fans v Faves, May 8th 2008

2008-05-08T16:58:00.000-07:00

Good evening. :) The show just began on the east coast, so I'm opening the post for those who'd like to comment while it's on. I finally got a look at all the Ponderosa Videos. Very fun! :)

See ya in the comments section...

Survivor Fans vs Faves... Not so much anymore

2008-05-01T16:55:00.000-07:00

Good evening! :) It's Thursday, May 1st, just a few minutes before the start of the show, and I have no idea if anyone's gonna show up tonight, but here's hoping.

Welcome to the first post BB9 Survivor episode! :)

Will the Black Widow Brigade prevail another week? Or will they eat one of their own?

Will the mighty, powerful and oh so lovely James be DQ'd by a cut on his finger??

Episode Spoiling Below

*
*
*

What a surprising, violent, loving and rewarding episode. The challenges were the most intentionally violent I think we've ever seen, but the reward with the stingerless jellyfish made me wish I was out there with them. Just gorgeous.

Who would've ever thought the mighty mighty James would be felled by a cut on his finger? Certainly not I. Certainly not him. Thankfully for his own health, the decision was taken out of his hands as well.

I didn't even realize how close to the final we are until James was taken out, and only Parvati and Eric were left on the island to hug him goodbye.

And then we were on to the Immunity Challenge, which Eric won in 3 easy shots.

CUT TO: Drama.

You all saw the episode. No need to recount it here. All I'll say is, 3 cheers for Little Miss Blurry Bottom's finding the Immunity Idol, as well as her stellar performance at Tribal Council!

My ideal final 3 now: Amanda, Cirie and Parvati.

Episode 9

2008-04-10T16:59:00.000-07:00

Open! Let's hope this BB Nomination Ceremony lasts the duration of the episode, shall we? (No such luck!)

10 Survivors are left. Who will be voted out tonight?

Episode 8 - Take 2 ;)

2008-03-27T16:58:00.000-07:00

OK.. lol.. the post is already open - let's do this.

Episode 7

2008-03-19T16:52:00.000-07:00

Open says me!

10 minutes till showtime... on a wednesday night. What does Mr. Burnett have in store for us this evening?

Looking forward to chatting with you in the comments.

Episode 6 -

2008-03-13T17:43:00.000-07:00

Penner's out. :(

Just opening the post so folks can comment in the right place...

Back to blog on Survivor a bit later.

xo,
Carolyn

Episode 5: Survivor Fans v Faves Tribal Shakeup!

2008-03-06T16:53:00.000-08:00

GUEST BLOGGER - Cliff!

Previously on Survivor: Chet's weak. Joel aligns with the weaker fans to oust Mikey B. Ozzy find the idol. Woo hoo.

Fans react to Mikey being gone. Shaggy Boy (um, what's his name?) is bummed that they lost a strong player for a weaker player.

On Favorites beach, Ozzy decides to tell no one about having found the hidden immunity idol. He hides it somewhere on the favorites' beach.

He immediately tells James. And Amanda. And Pavarti. Brilliant.

Reward Challenge: Playing for a feast ...

But first ...

DROP YOUR BUFFS! This is the time on Sprockets when we switch!!!

Ozzy is unhappy. Jonathan is accustomed to the old switcheroo.

They pick rocks. They do a schoolyard pick. Immediately, Ozzy and James are on different tribes. Then Amanda winds up on Ozzy's team. And Pavarti ends up on James'. Fan Joel "You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry" Banner is thrilled that Chet's on his team. (The skinny gayboy is always picked last, eh?)

And for a feast, you'll have to be tied to one another and run away from another tied team while you smack your heads into trees, pull your partners' knees into obstacles and pound your face into tree trunks. Fun!!!

Amanda gets a fat lip. Jonathan tears up his knee. Amy hurts hers as well. Chet is dragged around the course like tin cans tied to a limo and probably gets a concussion Ratings gold!

And there's blood! Whee!

The Whatzisname tribe (Ozzy and others on the former Favorites, or "Favorites", beach) is happy to have the cool digs, but is upset to have lost the challenge. (They don't show it, but you gotta know Ozzy's gotta be relieved he wasn't sent to the beach where he DIDN'T have the idol stashed!) The Whatever tribe (James and the others on the fans, or "Fans" beach) wins the challenge and has a feast. But since the fans were lazy little piggies and made their houses of straw, the tide washes away their fire. Who knows how they'd fare against the Big Bad Wolf?

A doctor tends to Jonathan and we get to see an extreme close up of his gaping wound and his stitches being sown. Thank goodness for HDTV! (Yeah, I know it's not on HD yet. Damn you, Marc Burnett!)

Immunity challenge: Break tiles. Grab puzzle pieces. Put together a puzzle led by a caller.

For team Whatzisname, The Incredible Joel breaks zero tiles with his amazing athleticism. Allison -- no, sorry, I am being told her name is Tracy -- manages to break three. When they finally get to the puzzle Joel keeps second guessing Chet and team Whatever wins immunity.

Back on the beach we are treated to long, lustful shots of a sleek and sinewy Chet sunning himself. Long, erotic visions of Chet communing with chickens. Sultry visions of Chet in his baggy, baggy shorts. Zexy.

Joel wants Chet out. And then Cirie and then Tracy.

Shaggy thinks it's a good idea as do Ozzy and Amanda. Cirie, sensing which way this is gonna go, gets going on ousting Truckasaurus, pointing out that he hasn't helped win squat and probably lost the game for them.

At tribal, Shaggy displays a sense of the artistic in writing Chet's name in outline letters and is again floored when a hunk is voted out.

Ozzy and Cirie write "Truck" on their parchment.

Joel's upset.

Next week: Jonathan's injury could lead to a life-threatening infection! Tune in to see if he has to choose between playing a game or death!

Tribal Shake-up This Week on Survivor

2008-03-04T07:29:00.000-08:00

After battling each other as Fans vs. Favorites, the tribes finally switch.

After an intense reward challenge, several castmates return to camp with injuries, and one proves serious enough to threaten the fate of the castaway's future in the game.

The fifth person is voted off the island, on SURVIVOR: MICRONESIA — Fans vs. Favorites, Thursday, March 6 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

Episode 4 Survivor Fans v Favorites

2008-02-28T16:39:00.000-08:00

Could that have been a more perfect episode? Aquaman Ozzy at his finest! Underwater, the way nature intended, and then making quick work of scoring himself the immunity idol. Just beautiful. Clever too - making the phony idol.

As far as I was concerned, the episode ended as soon as the favorites won immunity. They were poetry in motion during that challenge. It's terrible, I guess, but I still don't give a hoot about any of the fans. I'm sure they're lovely people, but in terms of the game... I just don't care.

As long as my favorites are safe, I'm a happy camper. They were. I am. End of story.

Almost... I really have to give kudos to James for figuring out the puzzle! How much of a nice surprise was that?!

I'm looking forward to seeing your thoughts in the comment section.

Episode 3 Survivor Fans v Faves Et Tu Cirie

2008-02-21T16:53:00.001-08:00

OK.. the feeds just cut out on BB a couple minutes ago, so with any luck I'll actually get to do this week of Survivor. Trying to do both is.. well.. nuts. BB is rather all encompassing, as you can imagine.

Anyhow, I was planning all day to come over here and extend my apologies, but this may just work out. Long may the Nomination Ceremony take!

10 Minutes till Episode #3... Let's see if I can actually get to watch it and blog it this time!
~*~

Great episode. Horrible outcome! Et tu, Cirie? :(

As always, Burnett and company outdid themselves with incredible, intense comps, superb editing and gorgeous footage. Cirie was once again in a pivotal role, but I can't say I'm happy with the result.

Do I still adore her? Absolutely.

I'm definitely rooting for the favorites, and each time we lose one, it's just awful, but why Yau? Why now? It doesn't make any sense. Now isn't the time for personal advancement, now is the time for team building, and keeping the strongest.

Yau's prowess is not limited to the mental - not by a long shot. Because of his extreme mental strength, he is also able to make himself an asset physically, because he understands and implements the physics necessary for the events.

Big mistake, favorites. Big mistake.

Shame on the lot of you.

Well, the ones who voted him out anyway.

Heck, I'm just happy the BB Nomination Ceremony allowed me to watch & come blog Survivor this week. :) Can't wait to read your thoughts on the episode.

<3,
Carolyn

Survivor Fans v Faves: Episode 2

2008-02-14T16:38:00.000-08:00

I'm hoping the BB house will calm down long enough for me to watch Survivor tonight. With the way they've been on the live feeds, though, it's anyone's guess. Still, I'm opening the post for those of you who come, and if I'm not able to do it tonight, I'll watch while they're sleeping (or during a comp), and come blog about it then.

BB just exploded again... I'm gonna have to do Survivor later. Sorry guys.

Survivor Micronesia - Episode 1"The Greatest Player in the History of the Game"

2008-02-07T16:14:00.000-08:00

10 minutes till the premiere of Survivor: Micronesia - Fans vs Favorites!

I'm opening the post so everyone can comment while the show's on, but I wont be blogging on top here till after the premiere of Survivor is over, and I can collect my thoughts. (scroll down a little - it's complete now)

That's assuming my brain is still functioning... I woke up around 1am this morning, and I've been working on the BB blog ever since.

Hopefully there'll be a running play by play in the comments section... they're usually is. :) Provided by you...

Enjoy the show!!

Quote of the night:
Fairplay: "I consider myself the greatest player in the history of the game."

Then again, maybe not. I'm not buying for a second that he really wanted to go home. Not one hot second. No matter how he tried to spin it. I'm just thrilled the rest of the favorites didn't get suckered in again. The editing really had me going.

But getting back to the meat of the show...

Every time one of the favorites was introduced, I was sitting here going, I love him! I love her! Especially Ozzie and Jonathan and Yau Man... just seeing them all again makes me smile.

And then there's James, who has a much more profound effect. Mm Mm Good. James is the new Cambell's soup. Hard to resist and absolutely delicious.

And then there was Fairplay... Well, I'm loving Fan Tracy! "I'd love to kick him."

At the moment, she's the only fan I remember by name. We didn't really get to spend too much time with them. The only other one who made a big impression was the I'm shocked she's not a lesbian golf sales woman.. and it wasn't a good impression. More of an "Oh dear lord' how fast can they lose something and cut her loose?

Speaking of losing - I was stunned the favorites completely blew it. Too much cocky, not enough initial effort. James & Jonathan tried their darndest to make up for all that lost time, but it just wasn't enough with puzzles on both ends of the Immunity Competition.

Speaking of immunity.. the whoever finds it and grabs it first had potential, but fell flat - as usual with the immunity idol.

All in all, a gorgeous and extremely enjoyable Season Premiere of Survivor. Time well spent!

Survivor Fans V Faves Clip

2008-02-05T16:41:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone. :) I've been going a little nuts with getting ready for Big Brother, but I wanted to let you know SurvivorDish will be active for this season. :) I was just over CBS looking for some clips, and I found this one. I thought it was excellent, and I hope you enjoy it.

I'm curious - what is your natural predilection? To root for the newbies or the old pros?

CBS ORDERS TWO MORE EDITIONS OF "SURVIVOR"

2008-01-29T07:51:00.000-08:00

FOR BROADCAST DURING THE 2008-2009 SEASON

Jeff Probst Signs New Agreement to Continue as Host!

Casting for "Survivor 17" Is Underway!

CBS has ordered two more editions of SURVIVOR to be broadcast during the 2008-2009 season. These will mark the 17th and 18th editions of television's longest-running hit reality competition series.

Additionally, Jeff Probst has signed a new agreement to continue as host of SURVIVOR. Probst has hosted SURVIVOR since its inception.

"I am looking forward to many more seasons of SURVIVOR,” said Mark Burnett, SURVIVOR's executive producer. "It has become an expected treat every Thursday at 8:00 PM, and I am glad our loyal fans can continue their appointment television with us."

"This kind of longevity is achievable only with loyal viewers. We've been very lucky that our fans have stayed with us," said host Jeff Probst. "I still get excited to get on the plane and travel to another exotic location with another group of adventure seeking, Type A personalities. It is without question the best job I've ever had."

"SURVIVOR is a show that defies ratings gravity," said Ghen Maynard, Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming & Entertainment Content for New Media, CBS Paramount Network Television Entertainment Group. "It is truly remarkable feat to be winning your time period in all ratings categories after 15 editions. The show's success is testimony to the creativity and passion of Mark, Jeff and the entire production team; and to a brilliant concept that continually introduces new casts and settings, making each season feel like a new series."

This fall, SURVIVOR: CHINA, the franchise's 15th edition, continued its ratings dominance, winning its Thursday (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) time period in viewers and key demographics every week against its toughest competition in several years, including critical favorites "Ugly Betty," "My Name is Earl" and "30 Rock."

SURVIVOR: CHINA (9.0/14, 15.18 million viewers) averaged 5.1/14 in adults 18-49 and 6.2/15 in adults 25-54.

The groundbreaking reality series, which premiered in May 2000, has anchored CBS's winning Thursday lineup since February 2001.

The 16th edition, SURVIVOR: MICRONESIA, premieres on Thursday, Feb. 7 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT).

Casting for SURVIVOR 17 is currently underway via online applications at cbs.com and open casting calls in select cities.

Survivor Cast AnnouncedSeries Premieres on Thursday, Feb. 7

2008-01-06T14:22:00.000-08:00

Cliff, try to keep it down. Everyone else: Protect your Tiki Torches!! The Survivor Castaways have been announced, and Fairplay is among them. Good news: so is Ozzy! :) Bad news: no Coby. :( But there are lots of other fan faves. Somehow, shockingly, Steph, is not among them... nor is Rupert. (please detect dripping sarcasm)

Here's the dish from the fine folks at cbs publicity... with commentary from me next to the name of the Fave:

CBS today announced the 20 castaways who will compete in SURVIVOR:

MICRONESIA

— FANS VS. FAVORITES, when the 16th installment of the Emmy Award-winning series premieres Thursday, Feb. 7 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

In a SURVIVOR first, 10 ultra-fans of the series will take on 10 former castaways to compete as FANS vs. FAVORITES. The two tribes will be marooned amid the Rock Islands of Palau,

Micronesia

. The skills of the former castaways will be put to the test while the tribe of first-time competitors will see if their enthusiasm and passion for the game is enough to distinguish them as worthy competitors. The FAVORITES have an advantage because they've played the game before, but that could also be their biggest disadvantage…the tribe of FANS know how the FAVORITES have played the game. Although the game play of the FANS is unknown and could prove to be their advantage, the FANS' lack of experience could be their worst enemy and potential downfall. Who will prevail?

Castaways competing in SURVIVOR:

MICRONESIA

— FANS VS. FAVORITES (in alphabetical order for each tribe) are:

YAU-MAN CHAN - Yeah! :)
55
Martinez, Calif. (born in Hong Kong, raised in Borneo, Malaysia)
Computer Engineer

JAMES CLEMENT - BawChickaWahWah - Long may he strut about half nekkid on the island.
30
Lafayette, La.
Grave Digger

AMI CUSACK - umm.. who?
34 (35 on Jan. 25)
Denver
Nanny

JONNY FAIRPLAY - well. lol. at least there's an established villain from the get-go, right?
33
Danville, Va.
Professional Wrestler/Reality Star

CIRIE FIELDS - yayyy!
37
Norwalk, Conn. (originally from Jersey City, New Jersey)
O.R. Coordinating Nurse

AMANDA KIMMEL - the return of little miss blurry bottom.. hehe
23
Los Angeles (originally from Kalispell, Mont.)
Fashion Designer

OSCAR "OZZY" LUSTH - love, love, love - i hope he aligns with James.
26
Venice, Calif. (originally from Mexico)
Freelance Photographer/Writer

ELIZA ORLINS - ummmm... again, i don't recall. must be the nutra-sweet.
25
New York
Law School Student

JONATHAN PENNER - Jonathan? As in Wooden Blackberry? No - Not that one.
45
Los Angeles (originally from New York)
Writer/Producer

PARVATI SHALLOW - Cool. Another ray of sunshine... I'm guessing she and Amanda will get along swimmingly.
25
Los Angeles (originally from Vero Beach, Fla.)
Non-Profit Organizer

FANS:

JOEL ANDERSON
32
Avondale, Ariz.
Firefighter

NATALIE BOLTON
32
Los Angeles (originally from Houston)
Bartender/Personal Trainer

MICHAEL "MIKEY B" BORTONE
34
Los Angeles (originally from Boston)
Aspiring Writer/Actor

TRACY HUGHES-WOLF
43
Fredericksburg, Va.
Commercial and Residential Builder

ALEXIS JONES
24
Los Angeles (originally from Austin, Texas)
Motivational Speaker

ERIK REICHENBACH
22
Pinckney, Mich.
Art Student

MARY SARTAIN
29
Emeryville, Calif.
Real Estate/Financial Company Owner

JASON SISKA
22
Fox River Grove, Ill. (originally from St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands)
Gymnastics Coach/Student

KATHLEEN SLECKMAN
45
Wheaton, Ill. (originally from Manitowoc, Wisc.)
Golf Course Vendor

CHET WELCH
48
Ford City, Penn.
Pharmacy Customer Service/Pageant Coach

Survivor: Fans vs Favorites

2007-12-16T19:58:00.000-08:00

Starting in February, Survivor Micronesia: Fans v Favorites will begin.

At least one of the Survivor China folks will be there, and I'm putting my money on James. They haven't released the list of All-Stars yet, but I'll be digging for info. You can count on it. ;)

Survivor China: Final Episode & Reunion

2007-12-16T16:41:00.000-08:00

With a week to think about it, and now 20 minutes before the show starts here on the east coast, I feel like I ought to pick a Survivor or 2 to root for, so I'm pickin' Amanda and Denise. Amanda's had a good, subtle game, and if she's clever enough to finally take out Todd, she deserves this. I'm behind Denise for the underdog status... She has the Mary/Dave (from TAR) appeal... Simple, honest, straightforward and truly appreciative of the exotic experiences.

Frankly, I'd be perfectly happy to see Todd win as well. He's been playing the mind game since the moment it all began.

Courtney? Hasta la vista, flacita.

On with the show...

The results are in the comments section.

Episode 12

2007-12-13T16:41:00.000-08:00

My how the season has flown. Tonight marks the last regular episode of Survivor China, with the season finale airing on Sunday night.

As gorgeous as it's been, realizing we've come to the end, I'm a bit let down. Here's why: I don't feel particularly bound to any of them. Every other season, I've had a definite favorite, someone I was rooting for going in to the finale... Not so this season.

I suppose if forced to pick, I'd go with Denise or Amanda or maybe even PG. Then again, Todd has masterminded the whole game... The only thing I'm 100% sure of is who I don't want to win, and that hasn't changed since Episode 1: Courtney.

My faves - James, Frosti and (at the risk of Cliff's wrath) Jean-Robert - are all long gone.

This season's been beautifully shot and cleverly executed, but how successful is it when a real fan of the show doesn't care who wins? The edit has to be called into question... they've failed to create a protagonist.

And on with the show...

The blow by blow's in the comment section.

Episode 11

2007-12-06T16:53:00.000-08:00

Survivor China, Episode 1 minus James... Sigh... No opening tushie montage. Instead we're treated to a less than satisfying self-congratulatory post Tribal Council group hug for the final 6... almost including PG.

Dare I hope this is the week Courtney annoys the wrong person enough to seal her fate?

Foreshadowing? Todd says it would be smart to get rid of him, but he's not going to tell anyone in his alliance about that.

Reward Challenge: Family... Ahhh.. Tears... and the reminder that they're all human.

Very cool blindfolded family reward challenge, and a much deserved win for Denise! Smart choices on her part too... in terms of who to share the reward with: Todd and Amanda, leaving PG, Eric and Courtney behind to have to say an immediate goodbye to their family members.

I'm curious to see if PG makes any headway with Courtney back at camp while the rest of her alliance is enjoying Denise's reward.

Meanwhile back at camp - Courtney, Eric and PG are ripping on Todd for his sister miscarriage story, comparing him to the fake Johnny Fairplay bs story about his grandma dying. In the water Todd has face time with the cameras and assures us it's not a Fairplay move.

Todd and Amanda also reveal to their family members that Denise is in for the final 4, but they'll take Courtney to the 3, since Denise hasn't pissed anyone on the jury off and they all have, so they're on a more even playing field together.

And another Immunity Challenge about Chinese Culture. Yet again, it's PG's to lose. If she's anywhere near the front of the pack, it's hers. So unfair. And.. she does. Whatev's. Come on. I'm curious to see if the edit shows any fallout about it... and it doesn't.

Tribal Council: Leading up to it, PG and Erik have been working Denise pretty hard. Will she or wont she? It's either Erik or Todd out tonight. Denise casts her hidden vote and says, "I'm sorry I had to do this. It's probably the biggest mistake I'm gonna make in this game." Spoilers in the comment section.

Episode 10

2007-11-29T15:43:00.000-08:00

Yeah, sure, there was an episode last week on Thanksgiving... but not a real one. ;)

Would you believe I've spent the last 3 days writing html code and working on getting the BB9 sites together? Whoda' thunk it? Oh Boy. If you wanna check em out and tell me what you think, I'm all ears, and I'd really appreciate the feedback... Here're the links: bb9dish, DishFAQs and BBLiveShowSpoilers. So far, so good... nifty new banners and info and the like. ;)

And now... Survivor! :) When we last saw our Survivors, they were at tribal council, having just booted Frosti, with Probst telling them they weren't quite done yet... Cue the suspense music.

The episode just started - Reward Challenge! I'm gonna wait to blog till it's done. Chat with ya in the comments.

~*~

Noooo!! My poor James! Why oh why oh why didn't you use just one of the immunity idols?? James, James, James. We'll miss you... and your tush.

Sigh.

I felt really great for Denise tonight. Happy that she got to go on the reward, and show off a bit of her skill.

This Survivor is anything but predictable. PG even grew on me tonight during tribal council - good for her for calling them out about who's been winning the individual challenges. Courtney? Still the most useless person to most likely make it into the final 3, then win the endurance stand on a pole contest and make it to the final 2. Pathetic.

I hate it when Survival means weeding out the strongest.

The saving grace of tonight's episode was the promo for next week when Denise is the swing vote... I hope she votes out one of the 4.

Episode 9

2007-11-15T16:49:00.000-08:00

Is everybody ready? :) I am! I just had a massage/stretch session. Lemme attem.

A-maaazing reward challenge. All teamwork and finesse, no brawn. Kinda funny - it seems like the contest creators are intentionally trying to create challenges other Survivors (besides James) have a shot at winning.

The reward left something to be desired - a little too Love Connection for me. I'm disliking Courtney less, but Frosti... oh, Frosti. I know it's slim pickin's but come on.

Immunity or Food? A cheeseburger or more of a chance at 1 million dollars? This one always stuns me... that people opt for the food! In my book, one of those 4 deserves to go home tonight... preferably the blond.. but that wont happen.

PG winning immunity had the feeling of Jen winning HoH right after Kale... ultimate upset.

Big Sigh. One of my faves just got the boot (see comments if you wanna know now), and Probst leaves us with a cliffhanger, "Tonight you will not head straight back to camp. We still have more business to attend to here."

Oh really, Jeff?

All we're getting is a preview of next week...

Episode 8

2007-11-08T17:00:00.000-08:00

ok.. I just got the news about a potential early BB9 and I'm still reeling, but here's an open post for episode 9...

I'll blog along with it. :)

Go James!

Reward Challenge - Say it with me now: SINK COURTNEY!!!!! lmao. Sure she's light.. light and useless.

Truth be told, I'm finding it difficult to get into this episode... all i can think about is BB starting early... and all the prep work I need to get started on for the dish.

The reward... I'm not loving how they're playing Jean-Robert for a fool in terms of the hidden immunity idol. It's the most telling moment thus far of the season. He's definitely on the outs, and watching him come back to camp, not sleep and go right for where the idol's should be is giving me a bad feeling for him this episode.... as if we're due for another Jaime moment during tribal - with J-R thinking he has an idol and getting snuffed out anyway.

Immunity Challenge - Ich Ich Feh. Three words I thought I'd never hear: "Courtney wins immunity."

New standout player - Amanda. I'm not sure if it's the first time she's gotten a terrific edit, or just the first time I'm taking notice of her, but I'm really liking Amanda now. She's even-tempered, very intelligent, and she gets this game. I can definitely see her making top 4 - possibly more.

The vote -
Mm.. Mm.. Mmm.. I seem to be channeling Jameka (from bb8), but that's all I can say right now. I'm not pleased. Dumb move, former feh long folks. I wont spoil it for the west coasters, but stay outta the comments section cuz it's fair game there.

Episode 7

2007-11-01T16:42:00.000-07:00

Merge me, baby, one more time. ;)

Hmm.. the beginning of the episode really underscores my dislike of Courtney, and were it not for the merge we're all expecting tonight, she'd very likely be next out... at least in my fantasy life. But tonight's merge, so strong players, beware. My gut instinct says if tonight is the first individual immunity, whichever of Frosti or James that doesn't win it, is toast.

Whoops.. forgot about James' 2 idols.
Aaaaack~ Jamie searched through James' bag and found the idols...

8:18pm Merge & Feast & Cool Chinese Acrobat Show.... and a warning from Jeff: "This game never ends."

He meant it. The immunity challenge was based on how much attn people paid during the Merge Feast. Frosti won the first individual immunity. If James still has his idols, my paragraph one predictions are already toast. ;)

~*~

Wow! What a great episode. Survivor China is the best Survivor in years. Talk about a nail biter of a tribal council - complete with as much tension & drama as any producer could possibly pack into 5 minutes.

I'm still loving James, Frosti and Todd... and wishing Courtney would be the next out. Jean Robert is right about her. She's now most likely to make it to the final whatever without ever doing anything.

Ichsa.

If you're looking for a spoiler on who's out tonight, check the comments.

Episode 6

2007-10-25T16:45:00.000-07:00

Wow.. 6 weeks in. That means we're 6 weeks out of the other one... and I'm still pooped.

On with the show. Apparently we're going to be treated to a special Courtney upchuck tonight. Oh boy. I can hardly wait.

I just hope James somehow survives the week...

As the show opens, James is playing the workhorse, thinking he should let them rest so they have no excuse to be tired at a challenge, and that this might save him.

My hopes are fading.

Were I James, in lieu of being traded to the other team after the reward challenge, which may or may not happen, I would sit my butt down during the immunity challenge, and tell my old team, point blank, "You need to lose this challenge if you want anyone from Fei Long to survive to the end."

OK.. phew.. Fei Long won reward and kidnapped James. Whether or not he helped that happen remains to be seen. Here's hoping he'll take the opportunity to tell them what's up... and he does. Along with giving Todd the idol clue, which Todd finds and gives to James.

The immunity challenge didn't go quite as planned, but it should be as easy as voting Sherea out and leaving the Fei Long numbers strong. I say Sherea because Frosti is more valuable, and has proven himself in a challenge or two... and I like him.

If they can come to this agreement, it's actually better for them, because then the immunity idol stays in play. It would have been a shame to waste it so quickly.

PLEASE tell me little miss do absolutely nothing has no pull tonight. PLEASE. Courtney does not deserve to make this decision. In addition to being useless, she's a horrible strategist.

OK.. I'm not gonna blow it for the west coast before it airs... Just a warning, the comments section will.

Next Week: "Drop your Buffs." Dare we say...MERGE!

Episode 5

2007-10-18T16:56:00.000-07:00

5 minutes till episode 5 begins.. or should I say Thursday night on the couch, or the bed, as the case may be.. Survivor, Grey's Anatomy, Big Shots... Just opening up the post for comments before the episode starts. :)

For those of you who've noticed my absence for the past week, I've been down for the count with spine issues... Hopefully, that's done with. Fingers crossed. :)

On with the show...

OK!! Tribal Shakeup. At first glance, Zhan Hu definitely got the lion's share on this one! James and Aaron. Score for them. I'm guessing the 4 switchers will have immunity this week... seems the survivory thing to do.

And so far, I'm wrong.

While PG was coming up with her scheme for Zhan Hu domination through intentionally losing immunity challenges, I had to give her credit. If it effects James badly, I'm done with her. :( He doesn't deserve to go out that way. 3/4 of the way through the show now, I'm still holding out a little hope for a quarterback sneak by Probst once they get to tribal council.. along the lines of, "oh, by the way, your newest members are immune this week."

And that's total wishful thinking on my part. There is no immunity.

On the bright side, Probst called them out at tribal for throwing the comp.

I can respect the mental game, but I can't respect taking out the warriors that way.

Last thought: Holy crap. They got me. They really got me.

download Skype

Episode 4

2007-10-11T14:11:00.001-07:00

Jean Robert. Very cool. OK, I expected him to speak French and Creole, but the Chinese was a very big surprise.

Todd - playing smart as always... getting himself the immunity idol clue from Dave, and with magic Ping Pong ball gone, Todd's the only member of fei long who even knows about the idol.

Meanwhile, over on the other team, Sherea really missed the opportunity to prove herself to her tribe while her nemesis was kidnapped. The only question is: will it matter?

I'm LOVING the Amazing challenges this season. The fireball/fireworks reward challenge was terrific. Then they followed it up with the fully costumed immunity challenge, and more freeze-frames - no doubt just for Cliffy.

Sing with me now: Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting...

I found it interesting that Jean Robert chose to sit out the immunity challenge. He's surprising me left and right tonight. Mostly that he's still there, since I chose him as my pick prior to the first episode, which generally means doom for any survivor. ;)

As for Dave - I found myself wondering what I would have done given the option of voting out him or Sherea. While I agree that he was condescending and bossy to his tribe mates, he did work his tush (and his gut) off. Sherea, on the other hand, did nothing around camp, and while she said she was conserving energy for comps, she wasn't terribly impressive there either.

That said, I'd have lost Sherea and let Dave work for me another couple weeks. How about you?

Survivor Episode 3

2007-10-04T16:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Survivor Day Everyone! :)

If I suddenly pass out mid way through my blog on tonight's show, blame my trainer. We went after my abs with a vengeance this afternoon - it's sooo not gonna be pretty tomorrow morning... but it should be smokin hot in a couple months. ;)

Anyhow, in the meantime, please feel free to comment on episode 3 here while it's airing. :) And I'll most likely be bloggin' during the commercials. :)

OK.. Sequence #1: Setting up Jean-Robert for the fall.

The edit on sequence one focused on Jean-Robert's perceived inappropriate behavior during sleeping hours, and ended with Leslie commenting that "Jean-Robert really doesn't understand the social game. If we ever go to tribal council, he's out."

The Reward Challenge

Excellent and again very physical. James' physical superiority is extremely evident - as if there was ever any doubt.

Ironically, Leslie's weakest link status is evident beyond her own team, as she provided Zhan Hu with their first competition win, and they chose to "kidnap" her over to their side. Leslie comes back talking about how much she has in common with people on the other tribe, and setting her tribe mates on edge about her potential for disloyalty post-merge.

Jean-Robert & James' "Private" Talk
Todd.. Todd, Todd.. Can we not refer to people as trash? Please? Todd and Courtney overheard/eavesdropped on a conversation between James and Jean-Robert that was both game related and very locker room in nature.. and a whole lot about Courtney... and James having a crush on her.

Immunity Challenge
Courtney completely blew it for Fei Long, practically handing the immunity challenge to Zhan Hu on a silver platter. Completely. The rest of the tribe worked the challenge so well, they almost made up for her, but not quite.

So... Fei Long goes to tribal council tonight for the first time. Will Courtney's social game make up for her utter failure during the challenge? Will Todd's manipulations make Courtney's social game irrelevant?

I'm not telling till the west coast sees it, but I'm sure someone in the comments section will.

All in all, really good third episode.

Bob Dawg's Audition Tape

2007-10-04T06:13:00.000-07:00

As we get ready for tonight's Episode 3, I thought it would be fun to try out a new feature: Classic Audition Videos.

Just in case anyone's thinking of trying out, here's an audition tape that worked. ;) Watch and learn.

Coby's Take on Episode 2

2007-10-01T06:09:00.000-07:00

So.. Since I was completely lame and really couldn't think of anything remotely clever to say about episode 2, I'm lifting Coby's Blog about it... for your viewing pleasure. ;)

Coby Takes On...
Survivor China Episode 2...

Okay let me get the I am going to burn in hell part of the blog over with...

I know if I am picking on someone else it is just to make myself feel better. People like me talk bad about other people because we have low self esteems and it makes us feel better about ourselves....

that being said.... am I the only one who laughs every time Dave comes on screen with the caption "Former Model" as his job. First of all, I didn't know that was a job, and secondly...no offense... has Dave had some hard living since his modeling days, because he doesn't look anything like a model to me.

Yes I know I am going to hell.

Now that is off my chest :) Lets talk game...and there is lots of it. I have never seen so many people so early in the game talking such strategy.

Todd thinks he is the next Brian H.
The gambler thinks he is brilliant.
The blonde with no bra has smarts about her (giving the secret to the weakest link).
Amanda is the first female mastermind to ever play the game as far as I am concerned.

And all of this on episode 2!!!!!

Great cast I can't believe the cat fight at tribal and let me say again....ALL IN EPISODE 2!!!!

The challenges so far this year f'ing rock! I hate when they reuse challenges anyway but these are so completely original I loved the ball drop mud roll naked romp!!! I have always wondered why nobody has ever yanked peoples clothes off.

And let me say thank go I didn't go to China...pure hell if you ask me. All that rain and mud....for real...HELL!!! Hell people!!! Exactly where I am going to go for making fun of a former model for hard living :)

~*~
To comment on Coby's Blog, please visit him directly, and subscribe! He's a doll and very entertaining.

Survivor China Episode 2

2007-09-27T16:45:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone :)

Still diggin' James & all of Fei Long, with 1 minor exception... Fun, cool challenges... Bummed the wrestler chick got the boot, but I get it...

I wish I had more to say about this episode, but I just don't.

Episode 2 Non-Spoiling Preview

2007-09-24T15:33:00.000-07:00

Call me crazy, I think James might just take this one. ;) His muscles have muscles. Hallelujah.

Here's what the nice, hardworking folks from CBS would like us all to know:

THE CASTAWAYS GET PHYSICAL ON "SURVIVOR: CHINA"
THURSDAY, SEPT. 27, 8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT

"My Mom Is Going To Kill Me!" – The castaways get physical as mud flies and tops are ripped off...

...in one of the most physical and dirtiest challenges in Survivor history. A vulnerable castaway believes she’s received a gift from God. The second person is voted off the island, on SURVIVOR: CHINA, Thursday, Sept. 27 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

CASTAWAYS:

ZHAN HU TRIBE: Dave Cruser, Jaime Dugan, Erik Huffman, Peih-Gee Law, Sherea Lloyd, Ashley Massaro, Chicken Morris (1st Voted Off), Frosti Zernow

FEI LONG TRIBE: Jean-Robert Bellande, James Clement, Todd Herzog, Amanda Kimmel, Denise Martin, Leslie Nease, Aaron Reisberger, Courtney Yates

Survivor Premiere Tops Ratings

2007-09-21T10:07:00.000-07:00

"Survivor" and encore performances Of the season finales Of "CSI" and "Without a Trace" lead CBS to a nightly win on the final Thursday of the 2006-2007 broadcast year! Additionally, CBS research estimates DVR playback should boost Adult 18-49 and Adult 25-54 Ratings By +7%.

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The premiere of SURVIVOR: CHINA (its 15th edition) drew an audience of more than 15 million viewers, the night's most watched program and the Number One program in all key demographics, according to preliminary Nielsen Live Plus same-day ratings for Thursday, Sept. 20.

SURVIVOR: CHINA (S) was first in its time period in households (8.9/15), viewers (15.12m), adults 25-54 (6.0/16), adults 18-49 (4.9/15) and adults 18-34 (3.3/11). SURVIVOR CHINA was the night's #1 program in viewers, adults 25-54, adults 18-49 and adults 18-34.

CBS Research estimates all DVR playback should boost ratings among adults 18-49 and adults 25-54 by +7% and among adults 18-34 by +10%.

Behind the Scenes Survivor China Videos

2007-09-20T21:10:00.000-07:00

Behind the Scenes Tour with Jeff Probst

What is a Dream Teamer?

Survivor China: Episode 1

2007-09-20T17:57:00.001-07:00

There's something relaxing about watching Survivor, especially after coming off of Big Brother. Something lovely about not forming opinions about what should be broadcast before it actually is. I went into tonight's premiere with one thing on my mind: Entertain me, Mr. Burnett. Boy did he!

The setting is incredible. When the premiere began, I couldn't help but think of the movie, "The Last Emperor." Stunning, with cinematography to match.

The first experience for the Survivors already had me forming opinions about them - 2 negative, the rest positive. I'll get Courtney out of the way first. The girl did nothing but irk me all night, from the start to the finish. Her behavior in the Temple was reprehensible, and it just got worse once she was in camp.

I wasn't thrilled with Leslie's behavior in the temple either, but at least hers came from a place of personal belief and respect to that belief. My wish for her was that she could open herself to new experiences, rather than fear them, especially since Jeff made a point of telling everyone, likely mostly for her benefit, that this was not a religious ceremony, but one of welcoming.

On the other hand, I became enchanted with Peih Gee and Denise during this opening ceremony. Peih Gee's raw emotion at simply being in the land of her ancestry was a beautiful thing to watch. Denise, the lunch lady, displayed the openness and excitement and appreciation I would wish for everyone.

First impressions...

With just this first episode, I'm already forming favorites. I was really rooting for James' team during the challenge. With the exception of Courtney, I'm just loving Fei Long tribe as a whole and as individuals. They work together extremely well, and they get along - so far - and I'm just diggin' em.

James, Jean Robert, Todd and Aaron all strike me as fierce competitors, and all with different and complimentary strengths: physical, mental and social. I have to wonder if the conversation shown between Jean-Robert and Todd, where they acknowledge each other's mental game, was a subtle foreshadowing of things to come.

Lastly, Leslie's kind words to James when he expressed his concerns to her about his social game won my heart, since I'm already loving James, and got her back on my good side.

On the Zhan Hu side, I loved Frosti. He virtually flew during that competition, and his attitude is terrific. I was also quite taken with the wrestler chick, and since she survived the week, I think her social game and her physical prowess will do her well.

Since I'm posting this before the show airs on the west coast, I wont give away "the tribe has spoken" moment, but please be advised that it is given away in the comment section.

All in all, I thought it was a terrific season opener, and I have very high hopes for Survivor China. Thanks for coming over here. I can't wait to read your thoughts!

Survivor Premier Night

2007-09-20T13:03:00.000-07:00

I can't even believe I'm doing this.

Big Brother ended less than 48 hours ago, and I actually spent the past couple hours getting a header and a few other things together for this blog. I was taking a drive around my island today, clocking out the mileage of some of my favorite bike routes, and thinking... thinking about putting my big girl pants on, stopping whining about how tired I am, biting the bullet and doing a blog for Survivor this year.

So.. Here it is. I love the show. Always have. And this season should be incredible. Now that we've built such an amazing community of dishers, I have very high hopes for this blog! :)

I know less than nothing about the current cast members, so I'll be learning along with the rest of your tonight during the season premiere at 8pm, or maybe I'll stop by the CBS site and do a little reading and video watching first...

I'll be bloggin' about it shortly after the premiere, once I get my thoughts together, and I hope to see you all back here then, and hear your reactions too.

All I do know is their names and what they look like. Based on that and that alone, I thought it would be fun to take a page from the Jenna-Dalton handbook and make a time capsule prediction as to the winner... Just for fun.

If you'd rather have a bit of info first, the link for the Official CBS Survivor Site is just to your left, in the sidebar, along with a couple of other useful Survivor links.

Please join me in the comment section here on the blog, and we can come back at the end and see how well-honed our powers of ultimate Survivor picking are! ;) If you don't have a google account and can't be bothered to make one, please make sure to include your name or screenname somewhere in your comment.

And just for giggles... lets do a quickie poll so we can see at a glance who, if anyone, the majority is leaning towards.

Surviving Mencia

2006-09-21T12:12:00.000-07:00

In keeping with the racial theme of this season's Survivor, I thought you might enjoy this clip of comedian Carlos Mencia. As always, he's right on target and pulling no punches. How does this have anything to do with Survivor? Mencia's honest and he's not afraid of broaching the race card, head on, no apologies. It's a part of our lives. Pretending otherwise is useless.

***I'll step off my soapbox now.

Happy Survivor Day!

2006-09-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Survivor Day, everyone! Tonight's the night. Since we're really still getting to know the tribes and how each survivor ticks, I thought it would be fun to pose a few silly pre-show questions and see how in tune our psychic/guessing abilities all are.

1. Who will our first naked survivor be? There's always at least one in the bunch.
2. Will there be a hookup? (incl. on-screen smooching) If so, who?
3. Who is most likely to go absolutely round the bend, talking to driftwood, bonkers?

Please leave your answers in the comments section!

Coby's Blog

2006-09-15T10:36:00.000-07:00

As a special addition to SurvivorDish, we will be featuring the blog entries of certain former survivors we have spoken with. Coby Archa is our first guest blogger, and here's what he had to say on Episode 1 of Survivor: Cook Islands!

"Okay so this season we all knew would have different opinions everywhere. My good friend Brett who I was supposed to call tonight, sent me a text that read, " OK still get goose bumps when they first start the game but I thought the episode sucked-boring!"

Well I couldn't agree...LESS!! I thought this episode f'ing rocked! I loved the begining where Jeff looked totally out of his element like he was going to get hit in the head with a paddle at any second. I loved hearing the stories about the boat people (like the beautiful Cao Boi). I thought about different cultures never thought about different countries!! I was crying...seriously.

I loved seeing all the ethnic groups finding their pride in who they were...from the Asians to the latins on. Then the camera came to the 'white' tribe. Who had no sense of self pride at all. Because we as 'white' people have no idea where we came from much less have any sense of culture. Was funny to see them...lost...in the moment of...who are we? Do we high five? Do we shake hands?

Loved seeing Cao Boi (or Cowboy as I heard it lol) rub a head ache away. Loved seeing him feeling outcast in his own culture (thus all the asian jokes he might get booted out for). He is by FAR my favorite already. Could be my favorite of all time if he keeps this up. Asian Rupert anyone?

I can't believe how many people from every tribe I...LIKE! I usually only like a few people on the whole damn show but out of the 20 I already love...Cao Boi from the asian tribe...StephanNie from the black tribe (Romana anyone?)...Ozzy the guy with curly from the latin tribe...I love all the girls on the white tribe....I find myself loving almost loving all of them, which is weird for me.

I love how minorities aren't afraid to 'go there'. They are so use to defending themselves in life they aren't afraid to speak their mind. Like the black guy bullying Steph saying that without him all the girls will shrivel up and die (no Tom cooth there for Sekou). I loved the two black guys telling the white guy to hit exile because he stole a chicken and karma is a bitch. If this was a bunch of white people they wouldn't have this much attitude this early...I am drooling on my key board as I write this....

I have it in Tivo and if it wasn't so late I would watch it again.

Love LOVE Love LOVE it!!!

F'ing bring on next week!!! If they merge the tribes this early I will kick Jeff Probst ass!!!!"

Missed an Episode?

2006-09-15T08:31:00.000-07:00

I've received a couple of desperate pleas for tapes of the first episode. There's no need to fret and no need to email everyone you know for help. CBS has a new thing called innertube, and you can watch the episodes there... free! Here's the link: cbs.com/innertube. They already have the premiere episode up. Have fun. :)

A word from Jenna Morasca

2006-09-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

Good Morning, Survivor Fans! With just under 3 hours till the first installment of Survivor Live, I thought it appropriate to include Jenna's message to all of our readers now.

Carolyn: What's your take on the tribal divide?
Jenna Morasca: I think the tribal divide based on race will affect the viewers more than the contestants. I think they will be focused on getting as far as possible with anyone, race doesn't matter in the long run. It has cased alot of debate the new twist, which causes alot of buzz around the show and thats a good thing.

Carolyn: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us Jenna. I know you're very busy. Is there anything else you'd like to say to the SurvivorDish community?
Jenna: Check out Survivor Live on www.cbs.com tomorrow at 2 pm eastern, when I talk to the first person voted off with my co host Dalton Ross. We will also be addressing the race issue.

Carolyn: We'll be there, Jenna.
Jenna: Thanks.

For more info on Survivor Live, CLICK HERE.

First Thoughts

2006-09-14T18:02:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a great season opener for Survivor. Now that's a show! It was non-stop, go-go-go action from start to finish. Great challenge! Bravo to the music editor for brilliance in post! Well done everyone!

The racial element was pretty much what I expected - a non-issue for the survivors, for the most part. Their reaction was pretty much, "Well, that's kinda weird, but ok." The Latin team looked at is as an advantage, coming primarily from tropical climates. The black team looked upon as a challenge to "represent" and show that black people are so much more than they are often portrayed on television, Survivor especially. The white team barely acknowledged it at all, with the exception of a very awkwardly uttered "Go Whiteys," which was met with half-hearted enthusiasm at best. The Asian team, all had different views on the divide. Cao Boi (cowboy) saw it as a great advantage, because "who expects the little, slanty eyed people to be able to do anything?" The other (non-immigrant) members of the tribe were less approving, and just saw it as an oddity from production.

There are so many things to discuss, so many levels. What's most interesting to me is something I was discussing with my boyfriend last night. Our prediction was that there would be no racism across group lines, but that it would manifest itself within the groups, due to their own cultural biases about what someone of their ethnicity ought to be, and further the not widely known hierarchy that exists within the races, i.e., light skinned v. dark skinned. His heritage is Trinidadian, and boy did he call it right. Fortunately, gender warfare won out over intercultural racism in the end.

***lol...my inner cinema geek is showing, and that's ok

Amen for the sisterhood. I KNEW they'd do it! Finally! Women on a reality show who stick together, and don't let the men convince them otherwise with lame arguments about non-existent fire, or anything else.

I'll have more for you later tonight on this episode, as well as a word from Jenna Morasca! Thanks for coming. It's gonna be an amazing season!

DishChicks Do Ryno

2006-09-14T16:31:00.000-07:00

Hey... a girl can dream. ;) But my oh my what a sexy voice... Forgive me, I was lost in thought... Oh yeah.. the Ryno mini-interview... :) Seriously, I have to thank Ryno so much for agreeing to do this completely spur of the moment! He hadn't even gotten my email yet... Just happened to be hanging out with Fairplay when I called. Bonus!

DishChickCarolyn: What's your take on the tribe divide?
Ryno: I think it's just a marketing ploy to get Survivor back to where it was during Pearl Islands... the ratings.

DishChickCarolyn: Do you think American's will root based on race?
Ryno: Yes. I think they will, until they weed it out and they're down to their favorites, but I think, initially, they will.

DishChickCarolyn: Will the jury votes be tribally/racially motivated?
Ryno: No. Not at all. It'll be who they like.

Johnny Fairplay's Interview

2006-09-14T15:45:00.000-07:00

Ever have one of those days when everything goes better than you could have possibly hoped for? And you get a good workout to boot? That's my day today.

If you had to pick one Survivor that will absolutely never be forgotten, love him or hate him, for better or for worse, Johnny Fairplay's your man. When I called him earlier today, he was sounding pretty relaxed, chilling out with his friend and former Survivor, Ryno. Sweet! John answered my questions in true Fairplay form. And as an added bonus, although we hadn't spoken before, Ryno agreed on the spot to answer some questions for us as well - what a sweetie.. and such a sexy voice! Here's Fairplay's interview. Ryno's will follow shortly. Enjoy.

DishChickCarolyn: So what's your take on the tribe divide?
Johnny Fairplay: I think it's awesome. Go Team Whitey! (laughing)
Carolyn: Seriously? Do you want me to write that?
Johnny Fairplay: Yeah. Why not.

DishChickCarolyn: Do you think American's will root based on race?
Johnny Fairplay: Yeah. Most Americans are pretty simple-minded, so yes, they will. Especially the red states and their little bitty brains.

DishChickCarolyn: Will the jury votes be tribally/racially motivated?
Johnny Fairplay: Nah. I think that once the show gets going, race is not going to be a factor.

Coby's Take

2006-09-14T12:56:00.000-07:00

Proving that lightening does in fact strike twice... I'm such a lucky girl!! Hehe... I swear, I'm just giddy right now. Coby agreed to be interviewed too! Here's Coby's take on the race card.

DishChickCarolyn: What's your take on the tribe divide?
Coby: I think that at the end of the day survivor is a social experiment and whether people want to admit it or not...race is a social issue. I think it is perfect.

DishChickCarolyn: Do you think American's will root based on race?
Coby: I know they will, my aunt is already rooting for the latin tribe and it hasn't even started.

DishChickCarolyn: Will the jury votes be tribally/racially motivated?
Coby: I think they will in some tribes, but I am not saying which ones.

Bob Dawg's Take

2006-09-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

I took the opportunity to write to a few of my favorite former Survivors this morning, as well as a couple of the more notorious players in the game. I'm thrilled to report back that one of my faves, none other than Mr. Bob Dawg, was the first to respond. Here are his answers to the questions I asked... More to come!

DishChickCarolyn - What's your take on the tribe divide?

Mr. Bob Dawg - "This is clearly a publicity stunt. There's no way around that. The question is whether there's something devious going on -- i.e., are they TRYING to cause drama and pain by playing with such a sensitive issue like race in such a heavy handed manner or is it just recklessness in the sense that they were just clueless as to how much drama and pain it would cause b/c they're a) dumb or b) blinded by the desire to get ratings and to get people talking about Survivor again. Survivor is not the forum to be dealing with delicate issues like race and I can't take the idea that this is a real social experiment seriously. Making Eddie Murphy into an I-banker and making Dan Aykroyd into a bum (in Trading Places), that's a social experiment. This is a ratings grab. The problem with rich white dudes deciding to have an "experiment" on race is that if things go wrong and people start getting hurt, it's not the Mark Burnetts, J Probsts and Les Moonves of the world that will be hurt by it. It's the people (like me) that have to deal with race and racism in the real world and has to deal with people who sometimes get all of their information about people of other backgrounds/cultures etc from TV. If this thing goes horribly wrong, those CBS and SEG can say "dang, that sucked. Oh well, let's go back to casting the show like an episode of Friends." But in the meantime, regular people may be offended, insulted, hurt, etc in the real world and they can't ignore it. Dang, this answer is long as shit! I still haev to cut and paste my other stuff and I think I covered things pretty well tehre so I'll cut this part off. Overall, bad idea though to divide by race and the notion that it's a social experiment is b.s. It's a ratings grab, it's reckless. Hopefully it won't turn out badle. I can't see how it can be good, but maybe it will just be neutral or something... "

DishChickCarolyn: Do you think American's will root based on race?2)
Mr. Bob Dawg: "I don't think people will root based on race. Or I should say, I don't think white people will root based on race. I happen to believe that most people are not racist and cringe when they're accused of it or made to feel like they are perceived to be and white people that don't want to be labeled that way won't openly be like "Go Whitey!". There are plenty of people out there that think that way of course (google "'groid destroyed paradise" and "survivor" to see some hardcore racists view of survivor for instance) but for the most part I think white people would feel uncomfortable pulling for the white team on the basis of their whiteness. I think some white people will feel inclined to pull for another race b/c they see them as underdogs or b/c they don't want to be seen as racist. I think that asian americans will openly pull for the asian team and that hispancs will be "down with brown" as they should since they've had so little representation on the show. They shouldn't miss the one chance they'll have to watch and root for people that look like them on this show. Black people won't be rooting for the black team b/c black people don't watch Survivor (we're always sleeping, at least according to Mark Burnett and his editors ;-))."

DishChickCarolyn: Will the jury votes be tribally/racially motivated?
Mr. Bob Dawg: "I don't think so. I think that unless they have some hardcore racists, that people of all tribes will be trying to avoid looking like they're doing stuff (post-merge) based on race. No matter what your race, you always look bad when you look like you're motivated by race. It would look especially bad in this context since the show is so short that any real deliberation on race will be reduced to some dumb ass soundbyte and people are going to look dumb as shit when they try to fit some deep thoughts into a sentence then see it aired as a 3 second blurb that makes them look like they're motivated by race. I think some people will go the other way so they DONT look like their votes are motivated by race and some people will vote based on the initial friendships they make but it will LOOK like it was based on race...I've had a very diverse group of friends (I grew up in So. Central with black and hispanic friends then went to a top prep school with mostly white and asian kids). Based only on stereotypes, I would say that as a group the asian team is the strongest and will be most likely to have loyalties based no race. I think the black and hispanic team will be the most likely to "cater" to Whitey ;-). But again, I have no idea what these people are like. Basically, I think that Asians are the least threatening minority group to white america, followed by hispanics. No one really hates asians or hispanics (unless they're illegal immigrants, then people hate them). White people in this society are more likely to accept or tolerate asians and hispanics but there are people that really HATE black people in the country and some of them have tv and radio shows. THat's why it's a problem and this can be painful to people and I think black people are the most likely to be hurt. If the black team fails to complete a mental puzzle, there are people out there that will be nodding saying "yup! Dem nigraz cain't think straight, I done tol' you det, sheeeit!" "

2 JournalistsWeigh In

2006-09-14T11:53:00.000-07:00

Two Journalists Weigh In On 'Survivor'
Race Theme 'Interesting,' But Will It Backfire?

NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2006

(CBS) The 13th season of "Survivor" may prove to be the most interesting and controversial yet. "Survivor: Cook Islands" premieres Thursday night on CBS. The show's twist has already been revealed — the teams are divided based on race, sparking a great deal of criticism.

Two journalists got the chance to see how the contestants are dealing with the situation. Dalton Ross of Entertainment Weekly and Alexis Chiu of People magazine were there the night the 20 contestants, divided into four teams of whites, blacks, Asians and Hispanics, were first told about how they were being split.

"It's interesting. I was traveling with the contestants and did the math," Ross told The Early Show's Harry Smith. "I looked and saw five African-Americans; I thought that's unusual, usually you have two. I saw five Asian-Americans. That's double the amount ever on survivor, so I said to a colleague, 'I think they are
going to do this.' She said, 'You are crazy.' Time flies, I guess."

"It was clear something was going on. Much more diversity and it wasn't until they announced it that I made the leap and realized, but with Mark Burnett — you can't put anything past him — so it wasn't surprising," Chiu said.

The contestants will go through the usual "Survivor" process of making and breaking alliances within the new society they create. All the while they vote one member off "the island" and the winner wins $1 million.

The contestants were given the news individually the night before the game began. Chiu said that they did not have much time to process the information, and right away they began working on their shelters and strategies. Chiu said she thinks the race theme will make the show more interesting.

"Anything they can do to change it up. As you might be able to tell, I am half Asian, so I might have a different perspective," she said. "I think it's a great idea."

Ross, who is white, said "my gut is they are playing with fire. It's very risky."

"I think they felt like they were ready to take that risk," he said. "But, you know, you try and control it as much as they could in casting. Mark Burnett said we are not going to put negative people in here. But once the cameras start rolling, there's only so much control you can have over that, so there's a lot of crossed fingers going on."

A concern has been that people watching at home will cheer for the contestants of their own race and divide the audience, but Chiu said that people will always pick their favorites based on different characteristics, be them race or physical attractiveness. She also said there is diversity within the tribes.

"A Korean and Japanese and Vietnamese are going to have as much difference as a black and white person," she said.

***Really excellent point here. It's as if all the teams were divided by their racial/ethnic appearance to a nearsighted individual with no real appreciation of the cultures so rich to each individual heritage...

Tonight's the Night

2006-09-14T09:12:00.000-07:00

Survivor premieres at 8pm tonight on CBS, and with that, a lot of unknowns. How long will they keep it up with the smaller, racially divided tribes? Will the viewers root based on race? Whether their own, or just a favored group? Will the jury votes be tribally, and therefore, by design, racially motivated? What's your take on all this? Please let us know in the comments here on the blog, and let's get this party started!

1. How long before 5 tribes become 2? If ever.
2. Will you be rooting for your own race?
3. Will the jury votes be racially motivated?

Funny Audition Video

2006-09-13T14:42:00.000-07:00

OK, this person hasn't actually made the show, as far as I know, but it's a heck of an audition tape. Very creatively done, funny stuff. Enjoy...

TV Guide VIDEO

2006-09-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

OK Survivor fans.. Check out these videos for a glimpse at the island, the sets, the cast, the teams and Jeff Probst's picks...

First up - The Aitutaki Tribe: the Latin division & The Manahiki Tribe: the Black division.
What I find most interesting in this particular clip is the complete lack of reference to actual ethnic heritage... Not from the extremely...

***crap, is this show gonna be hard to write about. i keep editing myself before anything comes out of my mouth, and if this blog's gonna work, that has to stop happening. so i'm just gonna say this once: i'm not a bigot, don't call me a bigot, and if you wanna slam me in the comments, knock yourself out. PC semantics be damned.

...americanized "latin" team, nor from the black team, which I'm referring to as black, because to call a Jamaican woman African American is wrong too. People are people, period.. and these people seem really cool and interesting.... I'm especially digging the jazz musician, Sekou Bunch. There's one shot of him where he looks positively regal.

This next clip features the Caucasian team, as well as Jeff Probst's take on each survivor's chances in the game...

Here we have a clip that focuses on a small portion of the behind the scenes of end of Survivor: production design and casting.

This clip from tvguide starts off with a man on the street interview, and segues into a Meet the Asian Survivors segment, followed by a challenge sneak peak... Check it out!

Jenny Guzon-Bae

2006-09-11T23:20:00.000-07:00

The Survivor premier is just 2 days away now, and I'm starting to look for info on the individual contestants. I'm not gonna touch on the race issue until I actually see how it's being presented... In any case, I prefer my way... So let's take a look at our first individual. ;) This is Jenny Guzon-Bae's Survivor Audition Tape!

Seems lovely to me. Let's see how the game plays out.

GM Replaced

2006-09-11T14:57:00.000-07:00

CBS says it has new advertiser to take GM's Survivor slot

By TOM KRISHER
Associated Press

DETROIT — CBS says it has a new sponsor to replace General Motors Corp.'s advertisements on the hit reality show Survivor.

The world's largest automaker confirmed Wednesday that it would no longer advertise on the show, but said the decision had nothing to do with the show's recent announcement that it was arranging its teams based on contestants' race and ethnicity.

"The upcoming edition of Survivor has a full roster of advertisers across a wide range of categories and GM's position has been filled," CBS spokesman Chris Ender said Thursday.

He would not identify the sponsors or say if an automaker had stepped in to take GM's place.

Spokesmen for Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. said they had no plans to advertise on the show. A spokesman for Honda Motor Co. said it does not comment on advertising decisions. DaimlerChrysler AG spokeswoman Carrie McElwee said the sponsorship had been offered to Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep, but all three brands declined.

GM had been the exclusive automotive sponsor of Survivor since the show's premiere in May of 2000.

The pullout decision, first reported Wednesday on the Web site for the trade magazine Television Week, was made by GM in the normal course of deciding its media buys months ago, said GM spokeswoman Ryndee S. Carney. The decision was made without knowledge of the show's new format, she said.

GM also said it is shifting some of its media dollars from prime-time television to more live sports, awards shows and other big events, Carney said. The Detroit-based automaker also decided that its media strategy should feature cars and trucks integrated into shows, which was difficult on Survivor, she said. Although one episode did feature a Pontiac Aztek, the opportunities for cars and trucks on the show were few, Carney said.

GM informed CBS of the decision several months ago, Ender said.

A group of New York City officials have criticized the new format of Survivor, saying it promotes divisiveness. They have asked CBS to reconsider its plans.

For the first portion of the 13th edition of Survivor, which premieres Sept. 14, the contestants competing for the $1 million prize while stranded on the Cook Islands in the South Pacific will be divided into four teams — blacks, Asians, Hispanics and whites.

Show creator Mark Burnett said Tuesday that many of the critics haven't ever seen the show and don't understand how it works.

"By putting people in tribes, they clearly have to get rid of people of their own ethnicity," he told the Associated Press during a conference call. "So it's not racial at all."

Probst Weighs In

2006-09-11T14:20:00.000-07:00

BARBARA BINSTEIN: Knight Ridder Tribune

Sept. 8, 2006, 10:11AM
Survivor host urges critics to watch before complaining

New York Daily News

Survivor host Jeff Probst urged naysayers of the new, ethnically divided edition of the reality show to give it time before putting it down.

CBS and Survivor producer Mark Burnett came under fire recently when it was revealed that the contestants for Survivor: Cook Islands would be divided into four teams by race.

"A lot of people who have never seen Survivor have absolutely no idea what they're condemning and using this as a platform," Probst told reporters Thursday.

"Those opinions of people criticizing us for doing this are valid and fair," Probst said. "All I'm saying is, you have to recognize you're condemning a show before you've seen it, and that's not fair or just."

In the past, Survivor had been knocked for not offering up ethnically diverse casts. So, when the creative team behind the show got together to plan this season, they decided to make sure the cast was ethnically diverse.

It was through the casting process — and talking to the potential contestants — that the decision was made to at the start split the teams into ethnic groups. "We actually felt that dividing them ethnically was a positive idea, because it came from our discussions in casting, and we kept coming up with the same theme, which was ethnic pride," he said.

"When you're talking with a group of white people, it doesn't come up," he said. "White people are mutts, we're just white, we don't have any ethnicity we hold on to."

Probst wouldn't say how long it would be before the teams are split and mixed — a standard practice on Survivor.

An overwhelming majority of the people who apply to Survivor through traditional channels are white, according to Probst. That required the casting staff to look outside of the normal places.

"Once we decided we were going to have the most ethnically diverse cast in the history of TV, it required us to go out and find these people," he said. "It was the biggest casting endeavor we've done in 13 seasons."

For instance, one of the contestants was found through a contact at a Korean beauty pageant in Seattle.

"What we found was the most fresh cast of people we've had going back to season one," he said. "We're finding people who aren't Survivor savvy."

As a result, Probst said Burnett decided to go back to the type of opening they started with the very first Survivor, where the players are on a ship and must grab what supplies they can before going into the water.

CBS is not releasing any portions of the show to critics before Thursday's telecast.

"We're hoping people will watch the show," Probst said. "There's a certain level of mystery. We don't want to spoil the surprise."

Advertisers Wimping Out

2006-09-11T13:26:00.000-07:00

Well, unlike me, the advertisers are taking it seriously. They are, ofcourse, blaming the pull-out on the "tastelessness" of the racial division ploy, but from my angle that sounds like a crock of hooey. Advertisers do not pull out for any other reason than fear of lost revenue due to boycotts by the public. Here's the article.

By Robert P. Laurence
UNION-TRIBUNE TELEVISION CRITIC
September 11, 2006

'All publicity is good publicity,” goes the old showbiz saw.

CBS and Mark Burnett, executive producer of “Survivor,” are finding that it ain't necessarily so.

Their decision to divide up the teams in “Survivor: Cook Islands” according to race hasn't just stirred up a hornet's nest of criticism, it's costing money. Several long-standing advertisers will have deserted the island when the “Survivor” hits the air Thursday (8 p.m. on KFMB/Channel 8).

The trade magazine Advertising Age reports that a half-dozen major advertisers – General Motors, Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Coca-Cola, Home Depot and Campbell Soup – have pulled some $26 million in commercials. “The more I think about it, the more I wouldn't want to be involved in it,” one ad exec told Ad Age. “It's in bad taste.”

Of course, accusations of bad taste are nothing new for the program that pioneered the eating of maggots as a form of mass entertainment.

~Advertisement~

But the decision to divide the 20 contestants in “Survivor” into four teams – white, black, Latino, Asian – does seem calculated to appeal to the basest aspects of human nature.
Of course, you don't have to root for the contestants according to race. You could cheer for the guy from your hometown. The San Diegan hoping to be the last survivor in “Survivor” will be Adam Gentry, a 28-year-old copier salesman.

Welcome

2006-09-06T17:59:00.000-07:00

We promised we'd do a Survivor blog, and here's the first post. :) With the 1st show now 8 days away, we thought you'd like to get caught up on what's being said around the globe, as far as this whole race thing goes. From my end, it's a ploy - nothing more, nothing less. It's just a way to bring people in or bring people back by pulling the oldest card in the book: the race card.

Here's the pretty promo Burnett put together for the first teaser, aired originally during the reunion show from last season. For the first time ever, there was no mention of some mind altering twist that would change all our lives forever.

Remember Cyrie? Here she is introducing the tribal council area and Jeff Probst. Doesn't Cyrie look amazing?! Probst promises a seaon "like we've never done before."

Here's what Rob Cesternino, the smartest Survivor Player never to win, has to say on the subject. Expect typical Roc C. sarcasm. ;) And let the games begin....