S01: Borneo

[Whimsy]

Here is your Survivor S1 topic.

[Jersey Guy 87]

Started re-watching this recently on Amazon Prime with our son, who is 13.  He's amazed (as are we) with how cheesy the original season was.

[fishcakes]

Ha. Yes. The tiki torches from Pier One and the big chest of fake money were particularly bad. I do miss the gong though.

[KnitsWithRaceCars]

I rewatched on CBS All Access last month.  "Primitive" is the adjective that kept coming into my mind when comparing it to later seasons.  I miss the gong as well.  I DO NOT miss Jeffy Pooh's challenge comments and commentaries when I watch the early seasons.  I find the silence very refreshing.

 

I actually came here to post a link.  I found this product while looking at shower chairs this afternoon.  I wonder if Dr. Alphabet Voter knows about it.  :-)

 

https://www.ils-hme.com/Catalog/Online-Catalog-Product/22799/Superpole-Basic

 

[Dobian]

I need to rewatch this season for the nostalgia, the season that started it all.  What I remember most are Rudy's inane and hilarious comments, viewers being outraged at the Gang of Four for strategically voting people off (neither players nor viewers had figured out how to play this game yet, which is what made season 1 so entertaining), Sue Hawk's infamous speach, and the fact that to this day it's the only Survivor where the winner was crowned right there on location. (and I kind of wish they'd go back to that, but I know that's not gonna happen)

[cherrypj]

There was the coconut phone, too. 

Edited March 25, 2016 by cherrypj

[Dobian]

LOL I was watching an old tribal council on You Tube and had totally forgotten about Sean's "strategy" of voting for people in alphabetical order!  Probst hadn't refined his vote counting yet either, he was just reading off the votes almost quietly without giving an updated count in a close vote, and then he just dismissed the council with a happy goodnight and no commentary.  He obviously worked on his showmanship in the following seasons.

[LadyChatts]

I remember Jeff saying how, at the second TC, Greg was making a mockery of it and Jeff was secretly getting really steamed that he wasn't taking it so seriously.  Of course Jeff lives for that kind of behavior now, so it's funny to look back and hear comments like that, about how sacred and official everything was.

 

Borneo will always remain my favorite for being the original.  I also love that the winner was crowned then and there.  I loved how basic the game was.  No idols, no twists, no advantages, minimal rewards (aside from Sean's overnight yacht visit).  One piece of pizza vs having a sheet pizza with wings, breadsticks, and drinks.  One chocolate bar divided up by 6 vs having an entire dessert bar with everything from cookies to fondue.  

 

And of course, no one knew what the heck they were doing, aside from Hatch.  I adored Rudy.  He gave some of the best advice that I think all Survivors should heed and remember when playing the game.  Rudy's comments were "I gotta fit in, not them."  I also remember him mentioning how he got lost when the youngin's mentioned MTV.  Funny that MTV was considered a generation gap in the pre-Facebook/Iphone/Skype/Snapchat/DVR/whatever the heck else is out there now era.  To this day he still has some of my favorite comments ever uttered by a Survivor castaway.  I also loved the challenges.  Jeff, the only soundbites we got from him was pre-challenge as he explained what was supposed to happen, and then we didn't hear him again until he announced the winner.  Kelly "water all-star" Wiglesworth getting her ass handed to her in the rowing challenges against Gervase "can't even f***ing swim" Peterson.  Rudy during that memory challenge with the bulky camcorders saying "I don't know."  Rich arrogantly stepping down in the final IC because he knew he was going to the end regardless if Kelly or Rudy won.  The whole fake showmance the show desperately tried to produce between Greg and Colleen.  Count me in as missing the gong.  Remember the conch shell?  I think that was only used at the first TC, but only the person holding it was allowed to speak.  

[fishcakes]

To this day he still has some of my favorite comments ever uttered by a Survivor castaway.  

 

Two of my favorites were made off the show.

 

On The Early Show after he was voted off All-Stars: "We got there and I saw a very familiar site. It was Richard, bending over in front of me."

 

And on the Survivor edition of Family Feud, the question was to name an island chain and Rudy's answer was "The Thousand Islands."

[Runningwild]

Watching this season for the first time now on Amazon Prime. 

[azshadowwalker]

It really feels different than any other season. I didn't watch it when it originally aired, but it's one of my favorites. I really loved that people were creating the game as they went along. There was no formula for playing or winning. I wish I hadn't been such a reality TV snob at the time and had watched it live.

[Runningwild]

Me too!  I'm only two episodes in, but I am enjoying it. Especially the part where Probst says NOTHING during the challenges. 

[LadyChatts]

My favorite part of season 1: less Probst.  Said nothing during the challenges other than the explanation to the audience, snuffed your torch, and that was it.

[Sarahsmile416]

Spoiler

 

Doing a re-watch of Season 1 now...and the first thing that struck me was how young Kelly looked. I like watching this now from the perspective of seeing Kelly a season ago, both in terms of her personality and in terms of her style of play.

The other thing that struck me is how much they are given from the get-go - canned foods, hydrogen peroxide, band aids, a water hole, all this equipment for fishing. The rewards might be much more extravagant now but half of the things they are given in the first few reward challenges now they were given in the very first episode! 

Edited May 26, 2016 by Sarahsmile416

[Lamb18]

I just started watching this season, too, after signing up for CBS Access. It's interesting to see the people I've read about on these forums but had never seen before except for Kelly and Richard. It's fun to see what's different and also, what is still exactly the same - the music, 39 days, Treemail, the torches. I also like how Jeff is explaining everything. The rats are icky. So far I like Sue, Wisconsin truckdriver, the best even though I know she doesn't win. I also like BB, the guy who wants to get that shelter done. He's just the type of guy who likes to get things taken care of right away.

[Lamb18]

I watched the second episode last night. Two people I liked last week I didn't care for as much: BB and Sue. In the first week BB was the nice guy who liked to get things done. In the second week he was the guy who liked everything done his way and when he wanted it done and was nice to those who obeyed him. I thought it was pretty brainless and rude of him to use the drinking water to wash his clothes. He was over the adventure, too.  I thought the rest of his tribe was pretty nice considering. I felt for Ramona who definitely was not feeling well and looked disappointed she wasn't voted off. I didn't like Sue laughing at the guy who made the fishing pole but didn't catch any fish. I thought it was a decent pole for being hand-made; he even made a reel for it. He reminded me of Alecia as he stood out there for hours (and she took hours to make a fire). I don't think I could eat rats. The grubs were gross, too, wiggling around like that. Poor Gervais, so grossed out, but coming through when it really mattered.

Jeff is so nice to the contestants! I really noticed that at tribal council.

[Lamb18]

I've seen episodes 3,4 and 5 now. The one thing I'm noticing the most is the background music. Sometimes it's the same music as you hear on Survivor nowadays. But there's this upbeat, bouncy background music that plays while they're running around, doing challenges, etc. The whole show seems so much more lighthearted that it does now. It's more like a hungry summer camp with some chores and Jeff as camp counselor. People have to figure out how to get along with their bunkmates. Greg - the guy with the faux phone - he seems close to losing it mentally and just getting by with different coping mechanisms. I did like how he burst into a West Side Story song and danced around after the treemail. I don't think it was mugging either. I can see why people like Kelly so much and were looking forward to her return. The closeup shots of her face after she failed at the rowing competition (although it was paddling, not rowing). I like that kind of camera work just showing the drama that comes naturally from the situation.

I can't believe Richard was playing with that snake; I think it was a krait. Maybe that was supposed to be metaphorical. He can manipulate and control the "snakes" on the show.

P.S. I wish this website would stop showing pictures of dead people at the bottom of the page.

[Lamb18]

Episodes 7 and 8 under my belt. After the discussion in this forum about winner's edit and the show showing why someone won, I'd say that the show is making it clear why Richard won. He is probably shown more and has more talking heads than any other contestant. If I hadn't known he won I don't know if it would be as obvious. I was surprised Gretchen was voted off so early. Just from reading comments here and at TWOP, I thought she had stayed longer. Or is there another Gretchen who made it closer to the end? I was getting tired of Greg so I was glad to see him go. He and his sister are nutcases. It's funny that Sean votes for Greg, as next in the alphabet since Gervis doesn't count (having won immunity), and it ends up that his vote is what gives Greg the majority of votes.

Some of these challenges are fun! Like the plane crash rescue. I didn't care as much for the SOS one because it was based on judging, which is subjective. I can see why people liked Kelly so much and were happy to see her back in season 31.

[cherrypj]

Yeah, the Tagi 4 knew about Sean and his dumb alphabet vote, so they went with him for a few votes. He was a de facto part of that alliance. 

[LadyChatts]

Greg was the intended target at the Gretchen vote.  Because he won immunity, they took out who they perceived was their next big threat, which was Gretchen.  Which, if Gretchen had made the jury, Kelly may have very well won the million.  I don't think she would have voted for Rich, especially after Sue's snake and rat speech.

I really loved the challenges during the first season.  One of my favorites is coming up regarding Rudy (see if you can guess which one when you get there).  I agree that there was definitely a different charm to it, being the first.  Everyone acts normal and natural.  No one knew what they were doing.  It was just a fun day at the beach for some.  I remember reading something from Mark Burnett once about the plane crash rescue challenge, and how Tagi could have won.  Apparently one tribe member was supposed to place markers in the woods that would lead to the "injured" tribe member in the tree.  Stacey laid the markers in place for Tagi, but Sue (who considered herself outdoorsy), ignored them and tried to find Kelly without them.  Still, they weren't that far behind Pagong. 

In hindsight, Kelly took losing that rowing challenge better than I thought.  I think about challenges today, and how it wouldn't strictly be rowing and having tribe members climb aboard.  There'd be about 3 other phases to the challenge.

[KimberStormer]

Gretchen is iconic I think because from the very first episode she is so impressive as a human being and her getting voted out was, as far as I remember (I've only seen part of season 1 and it was back when it aired!  So forgive my mistakes!) the first indication that it really, really had nothing to do with "survival skills", the voting was not "meritocratic" in that way, which is what I think almost everyone but Richard--contestants, producers, and viewers--thought the vote was "supposed" to be.  I remember one of the things that turned me off of the show before it had even really aired was people predicting how it would go, and everyone assumed the women would be voted out first because obvs women can't survive in the wilderness.  I remember one, maybe in TV Guide, and I'm pretty sure it was a woman writing this, that said first they'll vote out the old, then they'll vote out the women, but they'll keep Colleen around a little longer as a sex slave (if not in reality then symbolically); and I, assuming that this authoritative-sounding person in a magazine knew what they were talking about, decided not to watch something so horrible.  I got pulled in later because it was such a sensation and people put it on and it was, after all, really good TV.  But none of the predictions, that I remember, had anything to do with what actually happened, or what Survivor actually is.

Anyway, if it had been a pure meritocracy, Gretchen would have been a good choice (maybe the best choice?) for winner; and I think it was shocking to people that it went totally contrary to that expectation.

[ForeverAlone]

Yes, the Gretchen vote is what really changed the public perception of this show. I wasn't even watching the show at the time, but I remember the shock after that episode, because all of a sudden this show became something different than what they thought it would be. Combine that with the Richard win, and that is what made this show a huge part of the pop culture zeitgeist. If those two things didn't happen in Survivor, it would have been off the air shortly after the first season, in my opinion.

[LadyChatts]

After the Gretchen vote, members of Pagong were talking and making remarks like "if you want to play that way" (regarding voting in an alliance, rather than how you really want).  It's why it would have been interesting to have Joel make the merge.  He wanted to form an alliance and seemed to understand the importance of voting in a block.  The other members of Pagong dismissed it.  So if he made the merge, could he have pulled off the ultimate upset?

The whole 'voting off all the old people first' is where the controversial Stacey Stillman vote came into play.  Looking back, I guess I believe her vote was legit.  She didn't seem well liked.  But of course, what would it have looked like had the 3 oldest members of the season been voted off back to back to back?  Still, I don't believe there was any fixing.  I do understand, though, why people might have had the perception that it would be all the old, then all the women being voted off.  I got dragged into episode 3 by a family member, and I thought it was going to be the stupidest show ever.  Still, I watched the next week, thinking it was dumb, but here I am, 32+ seasons later.

[ForeverAlone]

The Stacey Stillman vote off is fascinating, because she sued CBS alleging producer interference that strongly encouraged the tribe to vote her off instead of Rudy. We'll likely never know the full truth, because the case was settled eventually and I'm sure NDAs were signed. But from what I have heard, I do believe the producers raised the idea of voting off Stacey rather than Rudy, but the decision to vote her off was ultimately the players. 

[LadyChatts]

26 minutes ago, ForeverAlone said:

The Stacey Stillman vote off is fascinating, because she sued CBS alleging producer interference that strongly encouraged the tribe to vote her off instead of Rudy. We'll likely never know the full truth, because the case was settled eventually and I'm sure NDAs were signed. But from what I have heard, I do believe the producers raised the idea of voting off Stacey rather than Rudy, but the decision to vote her off was ultimately the players. 

Knowing what we know now about castaway/cameraman interactions, I can believe maybe the idea was thrown out there by TPTB.  I'm sure it's even worse now to create a narrative through TH with cameraman interference.  There's that fine line between outright rigging and just putting the idea in someone's head enough to make them think 'hey!'.  Rudy proved to be a far more interesting, memorable, and likable castaway than Stacey ever would have.  Since Kelly was quick to bail on the Tagi 4 after the merge, Stacey may have done the same (assuming she took Rudy's place in the alliance), and we may have gotten a whole 'nother show. And then there was the age thing.  There was something I remember reading, and I can't remember the exact details.  But there was something with the reunion, how it was put together at the last minute due to the popularity of the show.  I recall something along the lines of Stacey trying to get the cast to boycott over money, wanting something bigger than what they get now.  It may have been more demands, too, than just money.  She was trying to keep it on the down low, but TPTB found out what she was planning, and offered the cast a certain amount for appearing, but they had to sign some document that may have very well been a NDA.  I'll try to dig up details on that. 

 I kind of am curious what Stacey is up to nowadays, and if does keep up with Survivor.  So many years have passed, just curious what she would think.  

Edited June 25, 2016 by LadyChatts

[Nashville]

6 hours ago, KimberStormer said:

Gretchen is iconic I think because from the very first episode she is so impressive as a human being and her getting voted out was, as far as I remember (I've only seen part of season 1 and it was back when it aired!  So forgive my mistakes!) the first indication that it really, really had nothing to do with "survival skills", the voting was not "meritocratic" in that way, which is what I think almost everyone but Richard--contestants, producers, and viewers--thought the vote was "supposed" to be.  I remember one of the things that turned me off of the show before it had even really aired was people predicting how it would go, and everyone assumed the women would be voted out first because obvs women can't survive in the wilderness.  I remember one, maybe in TV Guide, and I'm pretty sure it was a woman writing this, that said first they'll vote out the old, then they'll vote out the women, but they'll keep Colleen around a little longer as a sex slave (if not in reality then symbolically); and I, assuming that this authoritative-sounding person in a magazine knew what they were talking about, decided not to watch something so horrible.  I got pulled in later because it was such a sensation and people put it on and it was, after all, really good TV.  But none of the predictions, that I remember, had anything to do with what actually happened, or what Survivor actually is.

Anyway, if it had been a pure meritocracy, Gretchen would have been a good choice (maybe the best choice?) for winner; and I think it was shocking to people that it went totally contrary to that expectation.

Yup.  Gretchen Corby has the distinction of being the original blindside.

[LanceM]

Well we may never know the full truth of what went on with the Stacey vote but there is a record of Dirk Been's deposition on the matter.  It is quite long as you have 3 sets of lawyers asking him questions.

http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/survivor/segstillmanbeendp525.pdf

Basically he testifies that Burnett had taken him aside and suggested they should vote out Stacey and keep Rudy because he would be more helpful in upcoming challenges. He also said that Burnett had the same conversation with Dr. Sean.  He also states that Mark Burnett and Rudy were friends prior to the game having known each other from Eco Challenge.

LadyChatts,  He says that Stacey had tried to organize all the castaways to demand more money for appearing on the reunion show, given all the ad revenue that CBS was going to be receiving for the show.  Apparently she thought they should be paid $100 ,000.

[Lamb18]

On ‎6‎/‎24‎/‎2016 at 1:26 PM, cherrypj said:

Yeah, the Tagi 4 knew about Sean and his dumb alphabet vote, so they went with him for a few votes. He was a de facto part of that alliance. 

I haven't seen the next episode yet, but Kelly would be next, I think, and I thought she made it to the end. Unless Sean backtracks to Gervis or Colleen. That's crappy about Burnett's interference. I was wondering why it was Stacey over Rudy, since it seemed like not too many people liked him at the beginning.

[LadyChatts]

7 hours ago, Lamb18 said:

I haven't seen the next episode yet, but Kelly would be next, I think, and I thought she made it to the end. Unless Sean backtracks to Gervis or Colleen. That's crappy about Burnett's interference. I was wondering why it was Stacey over Rudy, since it seemed like not too many people liked him at the beginning.

Sue didn't like Stacy, and Rich had no intention of voting for Rudy.  He voted for Stacy in the first vote.  So it really came down to Sean and Dirk (what I consider the first official bromance).  It did kind of surprise me that they voted Stacy, but maybe she was unlikable enough that they were swayed.  I guess I won't be surprised if there was influence-but as we've learned, that's common.

Edited June 27, 2016 by LadyChatts

[Lamb18]

I've watched through episode 12 now. What a great first season! I can see why people got hooked. I can also see why people liked Kelly so much - she really rocks!! Which makes me wonder about season 31 - I didn't see any of the season 1 Kelly on season 31. So I've been wondering if there was nothing really to see or if there was plenty, but it didn't make the cut. Interesting how that 4-person alliance stuck together to the end. It looked like it was disintegrating for a while.

I'd like to see Gretchen and Sue again. I don't know if they've ever been back  - they haven't since season 25 or later, anyway. I wouldn't mind seeing Sean again but I think he found out that this show just doesn't work with who he is as a person. I've also learned what it means to "Pagong" another tribe!

[fishcakes]

Gretchen's never been back, but Sue was on the first All Stars season. She quit after Rich, who was naked during an immunity challenge, deliberately rubbed up against her. She got increasingly upset about it and quit the next day. I couldn't find a clip of the challenge itself, but here's the one where she quit.

At the time, rumor had it that she was paid an undisclosed amount by CBS and/or the production company in order to head off a lawsuit, but I don't know if that was ever confirmed. Either way, I think it's unlikely that she'd ever be invited back to play again or if she'd even want to.

[simplyme]

And if that's true, that money is well deserved, because that was handled really horribly.  They treated it like it was a joke and she was overreacting by being upset, yet in most (all?) US states it is illegal to rub up against someone in that manner without consent.  You can't punch someone, but Hatch got away with that. It was bs.  *gets off her soapbox*

Happy belated 4th, Americans!

[fishcakes]

Taking my response to the All Stars thread.

[LadyChatts]

I believe she was paid off.  Either she went ahead with the lawsuit and won, or CBS would have wound up settling anyway.  She had a good case.

In regards to S1 Kelly vs S31 Kelly- I think Kelly was just very old school Survivor.  She hasn't really kept up with the show since her season.  In fact, I think it was only recently that she said she watched her season all the way through.  She had the old school mindset of it being survival related (hence why she was in the "shelter alliance").  She voted based more on common sense (getting rid of a weaker Abi vs Vytas).  I don't think she cared or knew how to really strategize or rely on idols and twists to further her game.  I also believe she wasn't giving TPTB what they wanted in her TH.  Whereas others were willing to follow the script and go on and on about how this redemption was going to finally allow them to go on with their lives, Kelly didn't seem to take the bait.  That's the only reason I have for her edit being so invisible.

Gretchen was on the list to play BvsW with her daughter, and she said she was disappointed they weren't chosen.  I'd love to see her return.  She seems to really want to come back.  Of course, I'd still love to see Greg return.  The fact that he seemed willing for S31 (but had to pull out because of his job) surprised me.  He's been asked back before, and I thought he had washed his hands of the show completely.  The only other person I'd care to see return is pre-merger Joel.  I also would love to see Kelly again, but I doubt she'll be back.

[Lamb18]

My question in the All-Stars thread is answered here! It is the same Richard and Sue, but in a different season.

[Lamb18]

Well I finished this season last night, except for the reunion. Even though I knew Richard won, I was still hoping it was Kelly. After the jury questions and speeches, especially Sue's, I can see why it took her so long to return to the show. I got the impression she left feeling kind of dirty and ashamed, and didn't like feeling that way. Also Sue's speech must have burned in her soul.  I've read about Sue's speech, but hearing it, wow, the vitriol! I suppose it was a good speech, but I don't understand the spite and animosity. At the very end when everyone was gathered around Kelly and Richard, I noticed Sue standing in the group by Kelly, looking like she wanted to speak to Kelly. Kelly talks to a few people, then walks by Sue, totally ignoring her. And I don't blame Kelly.

Overall, this was a great season. I'm trying to figure out how to describe how this season is different from later seasons. I think the contestants on S1 were less self-conscious about being on TV than contestants now are. Of course it helped there were no previous players to emulate in S1. No one was trying to be another so and so, and no one was trying to create an iconic Survivor moment. The iconic moments just happened by the players being themselves and not performing for the cameras. Well, I think Greg was performing for the cameras. I feel like the editing in S1 was sensitive, especially this last episode, when they were showing close-ups of the finalists' faces. And I liked the variety of background music, too!

Next, the reunion, then on to season 2. I'm not really looking forward to it because of hearing how everyone was starving, Skupin falling into the fire and also killing a pig. I know I've read who won this won but I don't remember who it was.

[LadyChatts]

7 hours ago, Lamb18 said:

Well I finished this season last night, except for the reunion. Even though I knew Richard won, I was still hoping it was Kelly. After the jury questions and speeches, especially Sue's, I can see why it took her so long to return to the show. I got the impression she left feeling kind of dirty and ashamed, and didn't like feeling that way. Also Sue's speech must have burned in her soul.  I've read about Sue's speech, but hearing it, wow, the vitriol! I suppose it was a good speech, but I don't understand the spite and animosity. At the very end when everyone was gathered around Kelly and Richard, I noticed Sue standing in the group by Kelly, looking like she wanted to speak to Kelly. Kelly talks to a few people, then walks by Sue, totally ignoring her. And I don't blame Kelly.

Overall, this was a great season. I'm trying to figure out how to describe how this season is different from later seasons. I think the contestants on S1 were less self-conscious about being on TV than contestants now are. Of course it helped there were no previous players to emulate in S1. No one was trying to be another so and so, and no one was trying to create an iconic Survivor moment. The iconic moments just happened by the players being themselves and not performing for the cameras. Well, I think Greg was performing for the cameras. I feel like the editing in S1 was sensitive, especially this last episode, when they were showing close-ups of the finalists' faces. And I liked the variety of background music, too!

Next, the reunion, then on to season 2. I'm not really looking forward to it because of hearing how everyone was starving, Skupin falling into the fire and also killing a pig. I know I've read who won this won but I don't remember who it was.

The music they used on the early seasons was the best.  Since I was obsessed with anything Survivor back then, I bought a soundtrack that featured music from the show.  Kind of like listening to a Pure Moods CD.  Anyway, I've been re-watching Thailand, and they obviously use a lot of the old music in that season.  Gives me the nostalgic feels.  Sometimes I get a little sad when I think of just how long its been since Survivor debuted.  I was still in high school, and use to fantasize being on the show.  My parents said it wouldn't last long enough for me to be eligible to apply (age requirement was 21 at the time).  I figured they were right, but here we are.  I thought we were lucky to make it to 10 seasons.  Jeff recently gave an interview where he talked about making it to S40 as their next big goal, and that they wanted to be sure they did something extra special for it.  I don't know, the interview kind of gave me a vibe that S40 will be it, or they don't anticipate making it to S50 (which would be, 2030?)  Anyway, it's kind of sad to think that Survivor could be done in the near future.

Has Kelly ever been invited back before Second Chances?  I know she wasn't for the first AS, but I don't know if she was for any other returning player seasons.  I was surprised to see her show up at the HvsV finale/10th anniversary party.  She seemed to have dropped off the radar at that point, and she openly said she hadn't really kept up with the show or stayed in any Survivor circle.  Unlike some Survivors out there, she wasn't campaigning big time.  During her confessional after losing (which I think she's the only 2nd RUP to get a confessional), she looked wiped and worn out.  Some people believe Sue was encouraged to do that speech, and some further allege TPTB helped her write it to make for dramatic TV.  She's always denied it, I believe, and said she came up with it on her own.  I guess people thought Sue wasn't intelligent enough to do the rat and snake comparison.  Overall, I completely agree with your thoughts about season 1.  Kelly actually said it best once while Outback was airing, that the biggest difference between the first season and future seasons, is that everyone knew going forward people were watching 25+ million.  I think the Outback premiere got over 40 million viewers because of its post Superbowl slot?  And of course, the opportunities for Hollywood Squares, that show on E!, and all the entertainment shows covered Survivor extensively.  The Early Show use to devote a lot of time to Survivor, and David Letterman had castaways on.  It seemed much more natural and innocent.  I never knew what to make of Greg.  I do agree he was playing it up, but I don't know if it was so much for the cameras, or just to do it in general.

[ljenkins782]

Quote

I never knew what to make of Greg.  I do agree he was playing it up, but I don't know if it was so much for the cameras, or just to do it in general.

Greg's goofiness struck me as a personality thing specific to him, I honestly think he would have been the same off-camera. 

[fishcakes]

Gretchen said she thought everyone's edits were pretty accurate and showed them as they were, although she thought they unfairly emphasized Greg's weirdness. And mayyybe so, but we did see the video from his sister, which Greg thought was hilarious but made everyone else side-eye him to see if it was okay to laugh or if there was something wrong with his sister that would make laughing impolite.

[Lamb18]

I saw the reunion last night. I like Brian Gumbel as the host. You can tell he was a fan of the show. Especially liked how he had all the players introduce themselves and nearly everyone spoke. Actually, I think everyone did have at least one question or a chance to speak.  Rudy was so funny. Will you be friends with these people in real life? Answer: No. But I get what he meant - he already had his group of friends, it didn't mean he didn't like the people he was with in Borneo. One thing - maybe you longtime fans will know - Colleen said that she and Greg had their faux relationship to hide another one that was taking place. Does anyone know what relationship that was? By some looks among the cast, I thought perhaps it was Sean and Jenna, but no one really said.

[LadyChatts]

On 7/13/2016 at 8:20 AM, Lamb18 said:

I saw the reunion last night. I like Brian Gumbel as the host. You can tell he was a fan of the show. Especially liked how he had all the players introduce themselves and nearly everyone spoke. Actually, I think everyone did have at least one question or a chance to speak.  Rudy was so funny. Will you be friends with these people in real life? Answer: No. But I get what he meant - he already had his group of friends, it didn't mean he didn't like the people he was with in Borneo. One thing - maybe you longtime fans will know - Colleen said that she and Greg had their faux relationship to hide another one that was taking place. Does anyone know what relationship that was? By some looks among the cast, I thought perhaps it was Sean and Jenna, but no one really said.

Out of the 3 hosts the reunion show has had, Brian was always my favorite.  Jeff was great in the early days, but he became unbearable.  And I didn't care when Rosie hosted the Marquesas reunion, which surprised me since she was such a big Survivor fan.  I guess I was expecting something better.  And I still liked Rosie at that point, so I was initially excited to have her host it. 

I don't know if there was an actual relationship of any Survivor or not.  There was a website that exposed all the Survivor inside secrets (especially about the first season), and alluded to some of the producer manipulation going on behind the scenes (including the infamous Stacey Stillman vote off).  I can't remember the name of the site, but one of the items mentioned was the meeting between Sean and Jenna prior the merge (they were picked to scout out each other's camps, and had a night together on one of the other islands, before deciding where to merge at).  Sean and Jenna weren't originally the two selected to go as their tribes ambassadors.  It was supposedly Kelly and Greg, but they were trying to give the illusion Greg and Colleen had something going on, and Kelly had a boyfriend at home.  So the choices were overrided, and the young and single Sean and Jenna were instead selected to go.  I don't know who else would have had a relationship out there-most of the contestants were married/in relationships.  I don't believe Sean and Jenna had anything going on.

Also, I'm re-watching Borneo as I go through my reality TV withdrawls.  It is seriously like watching an entirely different series.  There was a good four minutes of footage on Rich talking about snakes and trying to chase one off his beach.  It was more like a science lesson than anything game related.  There were so many scenes of everyone working around camp, and complaining about those that weren't.  And they couldn't play it up more that Pagong was the party beach while Tagi was the worker bee serious tribe.

[Guest]

12 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

but they were trying to give the illusion Greg and Colleen had something going on,

I thought that Greg and Colleen both were very open with admitting they did have something going on?  I think I recall Colleen even saying they were so bored out there they'd go have sex just for something to do.  I haven't watched that season in forever, though.  

[LadyChatts]

3 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I thought that Greg and Colleen both were very open with admitting they did have something going on?  I think I recall Colleen even saying they were so bored out there they'd go have sex just for something to do.  I haven't watched that season in forever, though.  

Maybe.  It's been so long I can't remember!  I always thought it was just meant as a joke that they had something going on.  I wouldn't have been surprised, though.

[fishcakes]

Yeah, I think it was a joke. At the reunion show, Colleen said something like, "oh it was aaaallll about sex with us," in a mocking way. I think she and Greg figured that viewers had already made up their minds, and they didn't really see the point in denying it.

[LadyChatts]

Just finished watching the merge episode.  Something Gretchen said about feeling like she was initially on the wrong tribe made me wonder what it would have been like had she wound up on Tagi, in place of Sue (I'm assuming they wouldn't have put Kelly or Stacey on Pagong in place of Gretchen since that tribe had enough 20 somethings as it was).  She was very anti alliance, as was all of Pagong, so what would that have meant for Rich's alliance.  Would Sean have filled the 4th person void?  And since Kelly ended up rebelling against her alliance after the Greg vote anyway, would she and Gretchen, along with Pagong, toppled King Rich?  On that subject, I couldn't believe how naive Pagong was about alliances.  I get what they were saying about wanting to play the game on their own merits, but after all these years/seasons, it's funny to hear.  Especially when some members of Pagong were still saying 'we'll wait until the next vote and then see if there's really an alliance'.

We've had 6 people return from Borneo, and I like all of them so much better in their original seasons than whatever season they came back on.   

Edited January 19, 2017 by LadyChatts

[Oholibamah]

20 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

Just finished watching the merge episode.  Something Gretchen said about feeling like she was initially on the wrong tribe made me wonder what it would have been like had she wound up on Tagi, in place of Sue (I'm assuming they wouldn't have put Kelly or Stacey on Pagong in place of Gretchen since that tribe had enough 20 somethings as it was).  She was very anti alliance, as was all of Pagong, so what would that have meant for Rich's alliance.  Would Sean have filled the 4th person void?  And since Kelly ended up rebelling against her alliance after the Greg vote anyway, would she and Gretchen, along with Pagong, toppled King Rich?  On that subject, I couldn't believe how naive Pagong was about alliances.  I get what they were saying about wanting to play the game on their own merits, but after all these years/seasons, it's funny to hear.  Especially when some members of Pagong were still saying 'we'll wait until the next vote and then see if there's really an alliance'.

We've had 6 people return from Borneo, and I like all of them so much better in their original seasons than whatever season they came back on.   

I've always found Jenna impressively ready-to-play and get her hands dirty in both appearances. Regardless of the outcome, at least she went for it. She'd be an interesting player to bring back from Borneo with the added additions to the game. 

[SVNBob]

3 hours ago, Oholibamah said:

I've always found Jenna impressively ready-to-play and get her hands dirty in both appearances. Regardless of the outcome, at least she went for it. She'd be an interesting player to bring back from Borneo with the added additions to the game. 

Considering the scandal she got herself into right around the time of the All-Stars finale, I doubt they'll bring her back.

[LadyChatts]

I have mixed feelings on Jenna.  On the one hand, during AS, I thought she tried to come off as more of a strategist than she really was.  An intimidating bad ass poser I guess.  Plus, I hated her strategy of wanting to vote winners off first simply because they won.  It was stupid and pointless.  Why not keep them around for awhile, then try and get them booted by saying they already won, and who wants to see them win twice?  However, I do think, had she played in a different season for the first time, she could have done the strategy part very well.  AS kind of seemed like she was trying to come off as proving herself.  Then again, it's been a very long time since I've seen that season, so maybe I'm remembering wrong.  As I said, mixed feelings!  I did enjoy her during Borneo.  

On the subject of Jenna, I just watched the ep where she didn't get her video from home.  Normally I roll my eyes at the emotion involving family visits or rewards from home, but that was brutal.  I'm hoping that the sequence of who saw their tapes first was aired out of order, because if not, it was really a douchey move to show Gervase his video of his little girl first-right before telling Jenna she didn't get her video.  I admit I wanted to shed a couple of tears, even knowing what was coming.  This episode we got a quote from Kelly saying "I'm never gonna win anything around here" (foreshadowing to what was to come!)  I forgot what a kook Greg's sister was.  Rudy's reaction to Greg's video was funny (especially asking if killing him would do his family a favor, since he didn't think they'd make it much longer with Greg out there).  The immunity challenge was a good one (running through the woods, attached to a zip line, and having to collect carabiner clips along the way until you reached the finish).  The caption's "Gervase currently leading", "Jenna currently in second", and then there was a shot of Greg with the caption "currently lost" as he got tangled up in the line was great.  Definitely some classic Survivor here.  I must say that as much as Survivor has evolved, I do miss how simple the old days were.  Also, I noticed when Gervase made it to the end, Sue and Rich were already there.  Did they drop out early because they knew they didn't need to win, or was there some kind of untelevised heat first where only a few moved on?  They started the course with everyone else, and I saw a couple of clips of them in the woods, but it seemed like most of the challenge focused on shots of everyone else. 

Sue and Kelly were really bad liars when asked if there was an alliance. 

Edited January 21, 2017 by LadyChatts

[SVNBob]

27 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

Normally I roll my eyes at the emotion involving family visits or rewards from home, but that was brutal.

In general, I agree with the first part of this statement.  But I also give Jenna a pass here, for a few reasons.

First of all, this was the first season.  No one knew how emotional going on this show could get.  This was the setting of the bar.

Second, weren't her daughters less than a year old at the time?  And one of them autistic?  That would be really hard on a single mother.

And third, the BTS book written by Burnett revealed that they did get a video from Jenna's mom after all.  It arrived a couple days later.  Knowing that the window was missed by that little... that's harsh.

Edited January 21, 2017 by SVNBob

[LadyChatts]

21 minutes ago, SVNBob said:

In general, I agree with the first part of this statement.  But I also give Jenna a pass here, for a few reasons.

First of all, this was the first season.  No one knew how emotional going on this show could get.  This was the setting of the bar.

Second, weren't her daughters less than a year old at the time?  And one of them autistic?  That would be really hard on a single mother.

And third, the BTS book written by Burnett revealed that they did get a video from Jenna's mom after all.  It arrived a couple days later.  Knowing that the window was missed by that little... that's harsh.

Oh, I totally sympathized with Jenna.  That's why I said it was brutal.  Especially seeing her her bruises, scrapes, and cuts from practicing the bow and arrow for the reward, only to be told 'never mind.'  I think her kids were two or three?  They were at the reunion, and looked about the same age as Gervase's daughter.  And I believe both of them had some kind of disabilities (one of her daughters was missing part of her arm as well, though I don't recall if she was born that way or if something happened that caused it).

I have that book by Mark, but I forgot about that part regarding Jenna's video.  I do remember her accusing TPTB of withholding the tape to get a reaction out of her, as she didn't believe her parents wouldn't have sent it.  Which, nowadays, I could sort of believe.  

Edited January 21, 2017 by LadyChatts