Survivor In The Media

[MerBearHou]

For now until I see how it actually plays out, I'm looking forward to Wednesday nights of back-to-back Survivor and TAR only.

[mojoween]

Don’t like it. Unless we can go back to two challenges every episode that’s just too much Survivor, too much blathering, too much nothingburger.  And it’s my favorite show!  

[seacliffsal]

I think it would be great if they started showing more of camp life again-show me the tensions over building a shelter, show me fishing, show me bonding that helps me to understand the relationships and alliances that form, etc.

[TVFan1]

If they can do 90 minute episodes, they should bring back the intro like they used to do. I doubt they will do that.

[LadyChatts]

S45 is filming now (it might be close to the finale) so I have a feeling there isn't going to be anything too different in terms of adding challenges or something like that to pad the episode.  The 90-minute eps were probably on the table but if the writer's strike didn't happen it might have still been 60 minutes.  I doubt they had time to plan for catering the season around a longer run time. 

[Maverick]

 They should be just starting to film next season now and if so I doubt they can alter things too much for twists.   It's probably just going to be footage that usually ends up on the cutting room floor edited in.  

 My guess is this is less about the strike and more about the cost of scripted shows.  CBS already tried reality night this season which flopped miserably when The Real Love Boat sank faster than the Poseidon.  They only ordered 3 drama pilots and picked up all 3 so they didn't even attempt to try to fill that slot.   

[LadyChatts]

Exit interview from Danny (if you want anymore boxing/fighting analogies and comparisons like he was spouting about last night, this interview is for you):

https://ew.com/tv/survivor-44-danny-massa-interview/

-he doesn't defend his actions from the bro-mance lunch, with Brandon and Carolyn, but does defend Brandon.  He actually thinks Brandon got a bad edit, referring to him as the "Renaissance Man".  He also admits he's a fan of himself and says he was probably just showing off during that lunch 

-he considered Brandon and Frannie big threats; he says that Frannie was starting to figure things out, which makes me feel like we missed something (because if it was just figuring out Tika, why is that a bad thing?  She was right).

-he thinks he would have won if he got to the end

-he really didn't believe that Heidi voted for him at the previous TC, because he thought it made no sense for her to do so

-he was bummed that Brandon told Matt about the idol being fake, and while he wanted to hang onto it until the merge to create paranoia, he didn't know if he'd make the merge and that's why he planted it

-he's bummed that he never won an individual immunity, and hopes that he'll be invited back in the future

 

I'll be honest, I kind of miss the days when people were super bitter about being voted out and trashed some of their fellow contestants in exit interviews.  26 days has really altered the game dynamics.

[LadyChatts]

I haven’t listened to Probst’s podcast in a few weeks but I found this rundown from Inside Survivor from this past weeks episode.  He touched on some FAQs.

https://insidesurvivor.com/jeff-probst-on-bringing-back-gross-food-challenge-live-reunions-from-on-fire-podcast-episode-11-55074
 

-on the subject of gross food challenges, they probably aren’t making a comeback anytime soon.  The reason they worked before was because they could cater them to the location they were in.  Probst did look into importing some of the food items used in previous seasons to use in Fiji, but it wouldn’t work. 
 

-as to whether they will film anywhere else in the near future, Probst says Fiji works for a few reasons.  They have a deal with the government for some perks to let the show film smoothly (last I heard it, however, it was a new government in place and they apparently didn’t like some of these perks the show was getting, plus the cast and crew taking up room that could be used for tourists).  However, Probst said that some of the deserted locations they filmed at in the past now have resorts and private homes on them (so harder to find more isolated locations), the budget isn’t there, the size of the crew has grown, plus extreme weather conditions, government unrest, and not agreeing with a countries position are other factors as to why they stay in Fiji.  

-the reunion shows probably won’t be live again, at least anytime soon.  Probst likes that format, but says this way the contestants are in the moment and have the raw feelings and emotions.  Filming the reunion show months later, and after the contestants have seen how they are perceived can put them in the defensive, be less candid, and make Probst feel like he has to talk about certain things that came up because of social media reaction.  Makes me wonder how World’s Apart or Island of the Idols would have fared with a non-live reunion (ETA: and I know IOTI was filmed earlier in the day and not live, but still the contestants all knew what was coming).

-he doesn’t think they’d ever do a season solely of first boots, but isn’t opposed to doing a season of early boots vs runner-ups

-there’s a “Why Jeff Sucks” segment during the podcast, and this focused on fans not liking change and evolution.  He said he feels responsible to keep trying new things and keep the show going, saying he’d rather it burn out than fade away 

Edited May 14, 2023 by LadyChatts

[Carey]

On 5/11/2023 at 8:32 PM, LadyChatts said:

I'll be honest, I kind of miss the days when people were super bitter about being voted out and trashed some of their fellow contestants in exit interviews.  26 days has really altered the game dynamics.

I think I was planning to make this very comment if not a similar one during the show (I was rather busy with a number of things that evening).  I'm okay with how sweet everyone is toward people during the game, and then respectful during Final Tribal Council.  The main reason is that Survivor is just a game.  There are bigger issues in life over a gameshow.  However, it was sorta hilarious seeing people so angry over getting kicked out.  Even the jury expressions in one's first TC since getting voted off lack the anger.

Great point on the 26 vs 39 day thing, LadyChatts.  I agree that has changed things.  IMO, one might be more upset since at the point of their boot they would've been on the show longer so the bitterness is more legit.

 

Onto the Peachy Podcast:

 

 “Why Jeff Sucks”

Change is a part of life.  It's inevitable.  As mentioned elsewhere, the words of a dying CEO (an eventually the end of a company) pretty much makes sense.  "This the way we've always done things."  By the way, I'm not a fan of change for the sake of change.  After all, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.  Still, you have to adapt to the era that you are in, or else it's over.

That being said, I'm okay with doing things differently than before.  I'd tone it down a little, but I don't think it's a big deal.  I will say that if TPTB are going in the direction of doing new things, then make sure nobody sees the IC that took place on 44.11 ever again.

 

Season of first boots and gross food stuff:  No thank you to both.  I'm okay with some early boots since there a number that managed to make an impression early enough.  Early vs Runner-Up would be great to see in a year or two.

 

Filming Outside of Fiji:

Maybe someone knows what to do or how to increase the budget.  Having said that, I'm okay with them staying there forever.  They can still do new stuff & be creative without going someplace else.  Whatever it takes to keep Survivor on the air is okay for me.

 

The Live Reunion:

Jeff's points are fair.  However, there is a minor change that I would make.  After the speeches & votes, let the finalists clean up, and then return 24 hours.  Read the votes, crown a winner, and then celebrate.  As a 2nd or 3rd place finisher, I do not want to sit through an immediate reunion feeling like crap.  Then there's the 4th-place finisher.

So, IMO, if they'd tweak it a little that's fine.  They can all look good after nearly 4 weeks of battle while still having everything on-site.  As for if/when they'd go live, if they were to do it I'd bet it would occur in 2025-2026.  Maybe a little sooner, but there might be other factors.  Finally, the pizza/wine thing?  I have to laugh at that, but I do love both pizza & wine!

 

 

[LadyChatts]

@Carey it's funny, because I feel like I'm rolling my eyes anytime anyone says "who voted for me?  They need to go!" because I look at it like it's a game, a game where the sole purpose is to lie, backstab, betray, and vote people out to be one of the last ones standing.  But looking at final words and people's reactions from earlier seasons-Judd calling everyone scumbags and saying he hoped they all got eaten by a crocodile, Michaela punching a tree, Patrick looking like a real life adult Chucky doll, Rupert having a meltdown over his name being written down, and Lex holding a near 20-year grudge over Rob betraying him-are pretty epic compared to everyone nowadays just saying 'I love you guys!  Good job!' and being all smiles while Jeff snuffs their torch.  I was really hoping Danny would give off some fireworks, but all he did was a bad Deniro impression.

Quote

 

“Why Jeff Sucks”

Change is a part of life.  It's inevitable.  As mentioned elsewhere, the words of a dying CEO (an eventually the end of a company) pretty much makes sense.  "This the way we've always done things."  By the way, I'm not a fan of change for the sake of change.  After all, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.  Still, you have to adapt to the era that you are in, or else it's over.

That being said, I'm okay with doing things differently than before.  I'd tone it down a little, but I don't think it's a big deal.  I will say that if TPTB are going in the direction of doing new things, then make sure nobody sees the IC that took place on 44.11 ever again.

 

I think my biggest issue is Jeff trying to cram everything new all at once and trying to make it work.  I used to hate idols, but watching back the early seasons that didn't have them made me realize how boring and predictable the game could be.  But to have countless idols, advantages, advantages that can take away/dictate someone's idol/advantage/vote, TC where 10 people are immune, 3 people are eligible to be voted for, yet everyone can participate in the vote, people lose their vote, all in the same season, is just overkill.  It's clear that Jeff is all about moments and big moves and personalities, but this season feels like so much producer manipulation to make things happen.  People don't even seem to fear idols like they used to.

Edited May 14, 2023 by LadyChatts

[jsm1125]

I know a lot of people here think the pre-jurors can essentially go fuck themselves, but I’m annoyed that they don’t get to be a part of the on-island reunion. 

We’ll now have no way to see on TV the reveal of Matthew fooling Jamie with that fake idol, or the fact that Jamie never had a real idol in the first place. Or that most of Tika wanted Claire out over Josh but torpedoed themselves at the non-merge to vote out Josh, and for what? Josh had nobody!

[TVFan1]

1 hour ago, jsm1125 said:

I know a lot of people here think the pre-jurors can essentially go fuck themselves, but I’m annoyed that they don’t get to be a part of the on-island reunion. 

We’ll now have no way to see on TV the reveal of Matthew fooling Jamie with that fake idol, or the fact that Jamie never had a real idol in the first place. Or that most of Tika wanted Claire out over Josh but torpedoed themselves at the non-merge to vote out Josh, and for what? Josh had nobody!

I've been saying since the on-island reunion began to bring the pre-jurors back when they do the on-island reunion. They were part of the season, so they deserve to be there whether they made an impact on the game or not. It's not really fair to them, IMO.

[Carey]

Here's the latest from Jeff as it relates to the Reunion Show

[ljenkins782]

On 5/14/2023 at 6:36 PM, jsm1125 said:

I know a lot of people here think the pre-jurors can essentially go fuck themselves, but I’m annoyed that they don’t get to be a part of the on-island reunion. 

We’ll now have no way to see on TV the reveal of Matthew fooling Jamie with that fake idol, or the fact that Jamie never had a real idol in the first place. Or that most of Tika wanted Claire out over Josh but torpedoed themselves at the non-merge to vote out Josh, and for what? Josh had nobody!

I would like to see Matthew back just so Jeff could ask him why on earth he thought climbing slippery rocks in his downtime was a good idea after waiting years to be on the show.

I always like seeing the whole group back, there's always that one awkward early boot who's ready for their close up and embarrasses themselves trying to get more screen time, LOL.

[LadyChatts]

On 5/14/2023 at 6:36 PM, jsm1125 said:

I know a lot of people here think the pre-jurors can essentially go fuck themselves, but I’m annoyed that they don’t get to be a part of the on-island reunion. 

We’ll now have no way to see on TV the reveal of Matthew fooling Jamie with that fake idol, or the fact that Jamie never had a real idol in the first place. Or that most of Tika wanted Claire out over Josh but torpedoed themselves at the non-merge to vote out Josh, and for what? Josh had nobody!

I'd also like to see Kane's final words played back about leaving the game with his friends idol, and how he felt when he found out it was fake.  Sadly, the pre-jurors have become more of a non-entity in the new era of Survivor (and even the OG new era).  I can believe Probst likes this format, but I can also buy he's just towing the corporate line.  This has saved CBS a ton of money by not having to pay everyone the reunion fee just for showing up.  I think CBS was the reason the reunion show got cut into and wasn't a full hour anymore, so they'd probably do away with the whole thing if Probst wanted to.  I'm going to assume even the jurors/finalists don't get the reunion fee either in this format?  Anyway, what annoys me is that in a returning player season there's little doubt Probst would make sure everyone is there and present, first boot and all.  

[Nashville]

14 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

I'd also like to see Kane's final words played back about leaving the game with his friends idol, and how he felt when he found out it was fake. 

Let’s see now…

• The fake idol was constructed and hidden by Matthew, who enjoyed a few good yucks at Jaime’s expense when she found it.
• IIRC we were treated to several Matthew TH chucklefests over his self-professed cunning in pulling the wool over Jaime’s eyes, but no indication was given of Matthew divulging the idol’s fakeness to anybody.
• Matthew exited the game pre-jury, without (so far as we were shown) any revelations to any other player of the fake’s true nature.*
• Jaime, believing her “fidol” to be real and driven by paranoia over a nonexistent KIP advantage, entrusts the fidol to Kane’s care.
• Kane leaves the game post-jury, taking Jaime’s fidol with him.

 …so unless Production either (a) kept the pre-jury evictees around the Fiji set until some point after FTC or (b) told Kane directly for reasons of their own, I’d suggest it’s entirely possible neither Kane nor Jaime found out the fidol was fake until they were back Stateside - either from post-return conversation with Matthew, or by finding out when the season was aired.  Personally, I’m kinda rooting for the latter.  😆

 

* Just because I don’t recall it, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen - so if anybody else recalls any such revelations, please feel free to correct me.

[LadyChatts]

@Nashville, Kane isn't revealing the when or where, but it wasn't at Ponderosa:

Quote

 

So you thought you had been voted out with an idol in your sock, but it was actually fake. That seems to be a theme this season.  When and how did you learn that the idol Jaime had given you was fake?

I won't tell you exactly when and how I learned, but I'll tell you it was not at Ponderosa. [Laughs] Literally, when I came, I was like, "Argh, the sock idol!" And everyone was like, "No way!" Everyone at that point in the game thought it was real. Usually, people can kind of get a sniff of it. On Jaime's idol, there was not a sniff that it was fake. Every rumor percolating was that this was authenticated. It was like Probst himself handed it to her. So it was really interesting.

 

Which I find interesting, because Brandon knew about the fake idols and he was there.  Wouldn't he have known this was originally his fake idol?  So did he just not tell anyone because he was too embarrassed for them, or did he really not know?  And Danny, too, had planted Matt's fake idol, so I can't believe no one in Ponderosa figured this out.  

Anyway, the whole thing I find humorous about the whole isn't with Kane or Matt or Bearded Matt, but the fact that Jamie still believed her idol was real and was trying to tell everyone it went home in Kane's sock, but no one believed her.  She might get voted out for not having an idol that wasn't really an idol in the first place because no one believes her.  

[LadyChatts]

Exit interview with Jaime:

https://ew.com/tv/survivor-44-jaime-lynn-ruiz-interview-fake-idol/

-her and Lauren didn't view Carolyn as a threat, but since they thought Yam Yam, Carson, and Heidi were going to vote for her, that's why they voted that way (she does say that Carson came up to her right before TC, which he had never done before, and asked if she was good to vote Carolyn, so she thought something might be up)

-she doesn't know if she could have won in the end, but says Kane was her ride or die, and says she had a good social game with the remaining jurors.  She also says that since no one knew how Carolyn was playing the game, they didn't know how to take her at first.  She would have liked to have been in a final 3 with Lauren and Carolyn

-she doesn't say when she found out her idol was fake, but alludes to it being at the after show (she is good natured about it and says she was glad to have been a part of the fake idol, is glad it went home with Kane, and realizes all this leverage she thought she had all season didn't really exist)

-she said that because everyone left were super fans, that's why they decided to bring as much as possible with them to TC last night because they knew they were going to be moving to a brand new beach

-she wishes that they showed more of the relationships she formed out there, because she feels it might have shed light on some of her decision making (like why her and Lauren voted for Heidi at the last vote)

[Guest]

She truly is a ball of sunshine. I'm glad she kept her chipper attitude through the whole thing and after the fact.

[SVNBob]

On 5/17/2023 at 1:40 PM, LadyChatts said:

Which I find interesting, because Brandon knew about the fake idols and he was there.  Wouldn't he have known this was originally his fake idol?  So did he just not tell anyone because he was too embarrassed for them, or did he really not know?

No.  The fake idol for Ratu was the orange medallion, and the real one that Brandon played was a string of beads.   All of Ratu knew about both, and presumably, Brandon knew what happened with the orange medallion.

The fake Matthew made was also a string of beads, so it looked like the real Ratu idol.  He'd also found the re-hidden Ratu idol, so he had a point of comparison.

[mojoween]

The one weird thing about Peachy staying in Fiji is that Survivor and The Challenge are (I believe) owned by the same production company and The Challenge moves all over the place.

We’ve never had Survivor: Parkas and Mittens, but there’s no reason why we can’t.

[LadyChatts]

A quick interview with the final 5 (I love Carolyn even more than I already did):

https://ew.com/tv/survivor-44-final-five-speak-carolyn-yam-yam-heidi-carson-lauren/

[LadyChatts]

Carolyn got her Miss America moment when Sia gave her $100,000.

https://twitter.com/RobHasApodcast/status/1661787101464244224

Lauren got $15,000

https://twitter.com/PopCrave/status/1661822685490606091?cxt=HHwWlsDThbC7_Y8uAAAA

ETA: Carson got $15,000 too

https://www.fromtherumbleseat.com/platform/amp/2023/5/25/23738139/video-sia-crashes-ftrs-interview-with-carson-garrett

 

Edited May 26, 2023 by LadyChatts

[pennben]

Well, that was lovely to watch.  

[mojoween]

It’s interesting how nervous Heidi was about her accent when it was hardly noticeable, and also that Yam Yam never seemed to be worried about that at all.  It makes me feel sad for Heidi, actually, because it seems like some people she has come across in her life have been real assholes to her.

https://ew.com/tv/survivor-44-heidi-lagares-greenblatt-interview/?did=9251039-20230526&utm_campaign=ewk-tv_newsletter&utm_source=ewk&utm_medium=email&utm_content=052623&lctg=8425c6abea06b6e0382c1dddc7e9a5de26d5f759

[LadyChatts]

https://deadline.com/2023/07/survivor-leaps-into-reality-competition-race-with-first-nom-2006-1235435508/amp/
 

Survivor has been nominated for an Emmy for its 43/44th seasons.  First time in 17 years.

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

https://deadline.com/2023/07/survivor-leaps-into-reality-competition-race-with-first-nom-2006-1235435508/amp/
 

Survivor has been nominated for an Emmy for its 43/44th seasons.  First time in 17 years.

Ugh, Season 43? Really? Do they have to include both seasons so it counts as a year's worth of programming? Because Season 43 was crap, and not just because of who won. It was edited horribly and borderline unintelligible as far as "storytelling" goes. But I guess that whole bit with Noelle fighting the net and everyone rallying to support her was all the Emmy voters needed.

[LadyChatts]

25 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

Ugh, Season 43? Really? Do they have to include both seasons so it counts as a year's worth of programming? Because Season 43 was crap, and not just because of who won. It was edited horribly and borderline unintelligible as far as "storytelling" goes. But I guess that whole bit with Noelle fighting the net and everyone rallying to support her was all the Emmy voters needed.

I'm not sure, but I'm guessing it must be because 44 definitely outranks 43 (and I'm not even the biggest fan of 44).  I think 43 is the weakest of the "new era" so far.  

[Guest]

23 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

I think 43 is the weakest of the "new era" so far.  

Oh lord yes, it's not even close.

[peachmangosteen]

If they really want to fix this show (they don't), the first thing they should do is get rid of Jeff. 

[Hanahope]

if they don't have "colorful" women characters, maybe that's the fault of casting.  Hmmm, isn't Jeff involved in casting?

 

[DEL901]

Sia had a Survivor party

https://people.com/sia-hosts-house-party-with-survivor-season-44-finalists-after-gifting-them-130k-7564908

[Maverick]

Commercials are running for the new season set to...Gimme Shelter.  Really? CBS shelled out for the Stones for a Survivor commercial? 

[Guest]

45 minutes ago, Maverick said:

Commercials are running for the new season set to...Gimme Shelter.  Really? CBS shelled out for the Stones for a Survivor commercial? 

Well they had plenty of money in the budget since they're no longer paying challenge designers to come up with anything new.

[SVNBob]

36 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

Well they had plenty of money in the budget since they're no longer paying challenge designers to come up with anything new.

Or for a crew to film at Ponderosa.

[fishcakes]

Not sure if this is the right thread for this, but Cirie is on this season's Big Brother. Her son Jared (the same son who came out to Survivor for the Loved Ones visit) is playing, and she was the surprise 17th houseguest at the end of the premiere episode. It will be interesting to see if Jared and Cirie let anyone know they're related.

There's also another Survivor relative playing, but they haven't revealed it on the show yet and no idea if that Survivor player will also be on BB. Spoiler tagging it for those who want to know:

Spoiler

Season 42's Zach Wurtenberger's brother Cody is one of the houseguests.

I haven't watched BB before, but I'm going to watch this season for a while to see Cirie. (Seriously doubt I'm lasting the full 100 days though.) In theory, I don't like all the reality show crossovers, but they seem to work on me about half the time, so clearly I'm part of the problem.

[LadyChatts]

Not sure if this is a spoiler or not since the cast hasn't been officially revealed, but The Traitors is doing a Canadian version, and a former Survivor winner will be among the contestants:

Spoiler

Erika Casupanan, who won S41.  Hopefully she gets a more visible edit than Survivor gave her.

https://insidesurvivor.com/former-survivor-winner-to-compete-on-the-traitors-canada-55362

 

[LadyChatts]

I couldn't find an official release, but saw in the IG stories of Survivor, Big Brother, and The Amazing Race that they are doing another special with The Price is Right that was calling for fans of these shows to apply for next month.  I'm guessing it'll be like the specials they did before, where they pair a contestant with someone from those respective shows to play the games.  Those specials were fun so I'm glad CBS is doing them again.

Edited August 18, 2023 by LadyChatts

[Maverick]

 I liked those too.  And they gotta do something to fill out the schedule.   They already relied heavily on TPIR at Night last year to fill in between Survivor seasons. 

[Quilt Fairy]

On 8/7/2023 at 8:16 PM, LadyChatts said:

The Traitors is doing a Canadian version

With or without Alan Cummings?

[peachmangosteen]

14 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

With or without Alan Cummings?

Without. Karine Vanasse, who I know from the show Pan Am, is hosting.

[bunnyface]

I heard a piece of a segment on Howard Stern Summer School yesterday with Probst.  Someone asked about the repeat puzzles and how the players are building them at home and mastering them.   Probst said the upcoming season or seasons will have no repeat puzzles.  They thought it was interesting at first that the fans were doing that but they realized it was an issue, so no repeat puzzles for a while.  If you have SiriusXM you can hear that segment on demand.  

Edited August 23, 2023 by bunnyface

[peachmangosteen]

[Guest]

Why does that cast photo look so much like a corporate retreat? Are they always posed in such a neat, regimented way?

[LadyChatts]

1 minute ago, tracyscott76 said:

Why does that cast photo look so much like a corporate retreat? Are they always posed in such a neat, regimented way?

I was thinking it reminded me of something from a high school yearbook.  Maybe it’s because they all look so young.  

Edited September 6, 2023 by LadyChatts

[Guest]

1 minute ago, LadyChatts said:

I was thinking it reminded me of something from a high school yearbook.  Maybe it’s because they all look so young.  

Ah, you're right. Fiji High School's Outdoor Recreation Club.

[Nashville]

2 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

Ah, you're right. Fiji High School's Outdoor Recreation Club.

Fiji Fall Fling 2023!

[EllenB]

1. Emily sounds insufferable.

2. Was there a baby boom 26 years ago?

3. I got a huge laugh out of so many of these kiddies acting like they have vast life experience.

[LadyChatts]

In case anyone is wondering how 90 minutes will effect the show's editing...I guess if you like immunity idol hunts then you'll love the extra time spent to immunity idol hunting.

https://parade.com/tv/jeff-probst-interview-survivor-season-45

Quote

 

How does the new 90-minute format change things? 

The 90 minutes doesn’t affect the game at all, but the audience will see a huge difference in the depth and variety of the storytelling because 90 minutes allows us to show more reality scenes at their beaches. It allows us to show an “Immunity Idol” hunt, for instance, where we can take you much deeper into the hunt for the idol and the drama that comes with the discovery of an idol.

 

 

[SVNBob]

Saw that quote on Reddit with the title "He had us in the first half, not gonna lie."