Archive > Survivor: Gabon - Earth's Last Eden

Survivor News

<< < (3/5) > >>

puddin:
Jeff Probst Takes A Look At "Survivor: Gabon

marigold:
Survivor Gabon Premiere Ratings:

"SURVIVOR" CONTINUES TO RULE AT 8:00 PM

Released by CBS

The Premiere of "Survivor: Gabon" Wins the 8:00-9:00 PM Time Period in Viewers, Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54

First Ever Two-Hour Premiere Nets Almost 13 Million Viewers From 8:00-10:00 PM

SURVIVOR continued its Thursday (8:00-9:00 PM) winning streak, as the first hour of the two-hour premiere of SURVIVOR: GABON-GARDEN OF EDEN placed first in viewers, adults 18-49 and adults 25-54, according to preliminary Nielsen live plus same day ratings for Sept. 25.

SURVIVOR has won its Thursday (8:00-9:00 PM) time period every week against regularly scheduled competition in viewers and key demographics since 2002.

Last night's SURVIVOR debut was its first ever two-hour premiere and faced the highly promoted premieres of "Grey's Anatomy" and "The Office" in its second hour.

From 8:00-9:00 PM, SURVIVOR: GABON was first in households (7.8/13), viewers (13.05m), adults 25-54 (5.5/14) and adults 18-49 (4.4/13). CBS topped its closest competitor in the 8:00 PM hour by +18% in households (+1.2 rtg ), +53% in adults 25-54 (+1.9) +33% in both adults 18-49 (+1.1 rtg) and viewers (+3.27m).

From 8:00-10:00 PM, SURVIVOR: GABON (P) was tied for first in adults 25-54 (5.5/13, with ABC), second in households (7.6/12), viewers (12.91m) and adults 18-49 (4.4/11).

For the night, CBS was second in households (7.1/11), viewers (11.74m), adults 25-54 (4.8/11) and adults 18-49 (3.8/10).

marigold:
 :ascared an interesting article  :-[

Marcus Lehman’s penis exposed on Survivor

CBS is notorious for its often-unnecessary blurring of Survivor cast members. Anything deemed offensive—a bit too much breast, some pubic hair, a revealing bulge—gets a fuzzy spot placed over it. It’s so odd and amusing that there’s even now a video compilation of the “gratuitous blurring” from the first episode.

But on Tuesday’s two-hour premiere, something did not get censored: Marcus Lehman’s penis. In the second episode, during the combined immunity and reward challenge—a recreation of one from Survivor Africa—Marcus starts running and gets exposed.
 
He’s wearing loose-fitting boxers, and right after Jeff says “go” and everyone starts running, Marcus’ penis pops out for a few strides. It’s in both a close-up and a wide shot, and is extremely obvious if you’re looking for it. It’s even visible in the challenge video on CBS’ web site, at the 2:30 mark.

Oh La La has still photographs and Naked Straight Guys created a video that replays the moment in slow motion and zooms in—and sets the whole thing to ironic music complete with sound effects.

Link to the article and video: http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/survivor_gabon/2008_Sep_28_marcus_lehmans_penis_expo

RealityFreakWill:
From showbizmonkeys.com

Erik from Micronesia's review of the first episode:

Survivor Gabon: Want to See the Elephant Dung?
Posted by Erik Reichenbach | Sunday, September 28, 2008 @ 4:33pm


What the hell is 2008 Emmy Award winner Jeff Probst doing on top of a giant mountain? How did these random Doctors, Lawyers, Smash Brothers Champions, and Olympians appear out in the middle of a grassland in the African jungle? Is that Bill Nye the science guy trying to make fire? Welcome to Survivor Gabon: Earth’s Last Eden!

This review / random compiling of thoughts may be a little long for some, but don’t blame me! The episode was a 2 hour double feature; I have a tough time staying focused on anything for that long myself.

The short review is simply put:

    * Gabon is gorgeous, let’s all go there
    * Kota is badass: the Marcus, Charlie, Corinne, Jacquie alliance is looking great already
    * Fang, as a tribe, is mismanaged and awkward to watch but some members possibly have redeeming qualities in their own right
    * And next episode everyone’s gonna fight a lot (within the tribes and in the physical challenges)

Extended Review: Good Tribe, Bad Tribe?

Kota is badass, enough said. Marcus and his “Onion Layers” alliance (two form the inner circle, add on other players as the next layer to the core alliance) is already looking like a winning strategy. Corinne, Jacquie, and Charlie all look like solid players that can hang well into the game despite twists and turns. Aside from strategy I already can’t help but love Bob, the physics teacher, and Paloma even though we haven’t even seen that much of them. Unless there’s an extreme plot / tribal twist ahead (and there always is) this is a group that’s going far in the game.

At the other side, holy crap Fang is sending out some seriously negative vibes. Their lack of direction and awkward chemistry between players makes me tense every time they show what’s going on around camp. If this tribe continues to flounder we’re probably going to be seeing a lot of Fang in the coming episodes, and that is a bit annoying to think about. It's never fun to watch one team get "Pagonged" * every week..

Just because some aspects of Fang are hopelessly terrible doesn’t mean there aren’t some redeeming ones. Danny looks like a strong player, as does Matty. Randy may piss off some viewers because of his “watch other people crash and burn” attitude, but I can relate to his position especially considered the tribe he's in. Ken is a hilarious character just to watch and I hope he can make it out of his tribe alive and make it to the merge.

I’m not even going to touch that whole “we need a tribe leader” thing. Like Randy I’m staying out of it and it's pretty clear that GC was way too young to be the leader. It was a case of mistaking eagerness as leadership. Leaders notoriously become targets because of the conceived power and influence they hold and oftentimes to be a leader in Survivor is to be marked for execution most of the time (although I thought Tom from Palau should be noted as an exception to this concept).

Michelle (the first boot) initially surprised me. Taken, she had a terrible attitude both in the game and in her post-game interviews, but she could have contributed well to the tribe when it came to the challenges. My guess (seeing as I wasn’t there) is that Michelle’s negativity combined with being an outcast (being picked last, staying close with Ken, attacking people at Tribal council) outweighed her tribal worth and in that regard I think they made a good decision. Gillian being out second was a pretty standard Survivor early boot ("get the old out first") and didn’t really surprise me as much. I’m sure she enjoyed her free vacation in Africa, and at least she got to dig around in elephant dung on national television. She seems like a sweet person from what I saw.
“My season was harder than your season”

Right away we had an injury that was worthy of the medical team! We’re one episode into the season and Randy gashes his friggin' head open while moving around at night. He was ultimately fine (and now has an awesome head-bandage) but leaving the game for something as pointless as an injury is just ridiculous. It's just not worth it to be careless out there. When we were in Micronesia I recall someone asking one of the natives, “Do we need to have our shoes to go hunt crabs?” to which the islander responded, ”It’s your feet!” When you’re in a survival situation you take your own health entirely in your hands. The tiniest injury can cost you the game and plenty of past Survivors know this lesson all too well.

I was initially surprised by how easy things are for this group of castaways. They have a bag of rice, something I would have killed for in Micronesia. As they approached their new tribal camps we got to see that there were huts already made for them and a nice little boat dock. WHAT the hell?

At first I was kinda pissed, but then realized there are two things to take into account with the “luxuries” the Gabon Survivors received. First, there are crazy animals walking around and most likely the huts are there strictly for protection (if you recall in the third season, Survivor: Africa, the tribes had an already constructed thorn wall for protection against wildlife as well). Secondly, seeing as Gabon is an entirely new location for Survivor (unlike many seasons that filmed in repeated geographic regions of Palau, the Pacific Ocean, and Panama) producers may be unsure about how easy it is for castaways to live off the land there. They may have given the tribes a little extra luxury just so nobody dies of starvation, animal attack, or exposure. Better to be safe than sorry.
Can I see some more elephant dung next Thursday?

I’ll be back next week to report on episode two, which is at its regularly scheduled time of Thursday at 8pm. The third Reward challenge has been exceptionally brutal in the past couple seasons, and this upcoming episode looks like more of the same. Something about hanging onto a wooden post for as long as you can while others try and pry you loose? I dunno, I saw it on a preview somewhere.

Take it easy guys,

Erik Reichenbach

georgiapeach:
Such an interesting behind the scenes glimpse --answers a lot of the "how'd they do that questions! Thanks to apskip for the link!

COMMENTARY
By Andy Dehnart
msnbc.com contributor
updated 10:01 a.m. ET, Tues., Oct. 7, 2008

Fans of reality TV shows are known for becoming obsessive about their favorite series, and that's absolutely the case for "Survivor." Reality show fans want behind-the-scenes information in part due to curiosity about a show they spend hours watching every season, but also because they're sometimes skeptical about how real these shows actually are.

Here are answers to the most commonly asked questions about the realities of "Survivor. " These answers are based upon my week-long visit to the Western Africa set of "Survivor Gabon." Other seasons filmed in other locations may have slightly different answers, in part because the production changes and evolves, but also because different geographic locations can require slightly different approaches.

Is "Survivor" real?
Yes. Are there parts of the production we don't see on TV, however? Absolutely. Besides having to condense the show from thousands of hours of footage into 13 episodes, a lot is required to produce a TV show. For example, when you watch a challenge, you won't see 75 producers and crew members filming, recording audio, taking notes, and watching the challenge unfold. But based upon my observations, none of what doesn't make it on TV actually affects the game. What you see on TV is nearly always exactly as it happens.



Why does the show cast models or actors or people who've never seen the show?
Because they don't receive enough quality applications. Lynne Spillman, who's in charge of casting for "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race," has said in interviews that the show regularly receives tens of thousands of applications, but most aren't from what the show considers to be good candidates. Thus, the show recruits, often models or actors (dubbed "mactors")although those people still go through the casting process. That's become more common recently; everyone except one person on "Survivor Fiji" was recruited, and while that may give us unmemorable mactors, recruiting has also given us unlikely but popular contestants such as Yau-Man Chan.

Can Survivor cast members bring or wear whatever they want?
No. While cast members bring their own clothes to the location, producers select what they take to camp, ensuring that the cast will be wearing camera-friendly colors. Among those prohibited items include shirts or caps with corporate logos. Selecting clothing also allows producers to make sure not everyone will be wearing, say, green T-shirts. They're also searched to ensure that cast members are not smuggling food, matches, or other items to camp with them or in their belongings.

 
The show used to regularly feature each contestant's “luxury item,” such as Colby’s large Texas flag that actually helped serve as shelter in the “Outback” season. While the items haven't been featured on the show during recent seasons, cast members do bring comfort or luxury items with them to the location, and the producers do approve those items — and decide whether or not to distribute them sometime during the game (if at all).

What do contestants do all day?
Not much. Periodically, on-site producers pull cast members away from the group to do their confessional interviews. And, of course, the contestants go to challenges on two out of every three days. But beyond that, it's up for them to amuse themselves, whether that means foraging for food, strategizing, or just sitting around and talking.

Do Survivor cast members get personal hygiene items?
Yes and no. They have access to a container with necessary supplies, such as feminine products, birth control, vital medications, contact lens solution, sunscreen, and insect repellent. Otherwise, they're on their own. Contestants don't get razors, toothbrushes, or other conveniences, so if they have bright white teeth or aren't growing body hair, it may be because of tooth whitening or laser hair removal they had done before they left for the show.

Where does the crew live and work?
Living arrangements depend upon the location, and ranges from tents to actual hotels. In Gabon, base camp was a two-hour boat ride from the country's only major city, Libreville. A large part of base camp consisted of a large, temporary tent city, where everyone from producers to host Jeff Probst were living until their prefabricated cabins — which included bathroom facilities — could be assembled nearby. The crew works out of trailers or cargo containers that double as offices, and some offices are prefabricated and assembled on site. Everyone except contestants eats their meals in a large catering tent, which opens as early as 4 a.m. for those who need to be on location first thing.

Are the cast members ever alone?
No. Producers and camera operators stay at their camps all day and all night — in part to make sure they don't miss footage, but also to ensure the cast's safety. They work nearby in off-limits, camouflaged areas known as camera camps, where there are cots, food, and equipment storage. Those camps are very primitive when compared to base camp, however, and tribe camp crews work different shifts, so they return to base camp and are not always living out of the camera camps. At Exile Island (called just Exile in Gabon), a producer with a camera stays with the exiled cast member.


 How do contestants get treated for injuries?
On-location producers will mention any concerns to the medical staff, and can call for medics if there's a significant problem. Before and after every challenge, contestants visit individually with the show's medics. But as medic Craig "Squizzy" Taylor told me, "During the game, though, they're playing the game of Survivor for $1 million. So, we try to have as little to do with them as possible." He said that minor injuries are "part of the game." While a few major injuries forced people out of the game last season, nearly all of the (mostly minor) injuries or illnesses treated by medics affect the show's hundreds of crew members, who, of course, greatly outnumber the 18 contestants.

How do contestants get from tribe camps to challenges and Tribal Council?
Although they are often shown setting off with packs and walking sticks, making it seem as if they traversed miles on foot, those images only show the first or last part of the trip. They're transported. In Gabon, they were driven in vehicles with black plastic covering the windows. That prevents contestants from seeing where they are, and from seeing parts of the production such as base camp. After arriving, they're kept in a waiting area until Jeff Probst calls them in to the challenge, which is what we see on TV. They are not allowed to talk to one another until cameras are rolling either at the challenges or back at camp, ensuring that viewers won't ever miss a critical moment.

Do the contestants get more information than we see on TV about challenges?
Yes. After host Jeff Probst gives the explanation we see on TV, Probst and John Kirhoffer, the leader of the team that constructs all of the show's games, walk through the challenge with each tribe. The tribes can ask questions or strategize during that time, and doing it separately keeps the other tribe from knowing the others' strategy, if they have one. Accompanying them is someone from CBS' standards and practices division, who makes sure that each tribe has the same basic information so that the contest remains fair.

Who demonstrates (and tests) challenges?
The Dream Team, a group of young crew members, many of whom return for future seasons to work with the show in other production jobs. They run through challenges at least twice, including once with the challenge production team to see how it works, and once for a dress rehearsal, when they're filmed as if they were the actual contestants. That gives the crew the chance to practice filming, so they know where they'll need to be or where they can get their best shots. Footage from that dress rehearsal is shown to viewers when Jeff Probst explains the challenge to the cast. Helicopter shots of challenge locations are filmed separately, so that the production part — equipment like cameras and cranes, never mind more than 50 crew members — won't be seen on TV.



The show also occasionally uses the Dream Team as stand-ins in its faraway helicopter shots. If you think about it, that makes sense, since when you see a challenge from above, for example, no cameras or crew are visible, so who is it that's providing all of the footage of the cast running the challenge? In most cases, but not all, shots from a helicopter are filmed afterwards, after the competition is over and the crew has left with their equipment.

That doesn't affect the game in any way, just how it looks on television.

How long does Tribal Council last?
It varies, from 45 minutes to 90 minutes, but it's a lot longer than what we see on TV. However, give thanks that it's edited, since much of the conversation is also kind of boring.

What does Jeff Probst do when he goes to "tally the votes"?
After actually collecting the votes, Jeff consults with producers, who have been watching the voting confessional footage live in a production booth far away from Tribal Council. Based upon what they've seen and the actual outcome of the vote, they decide the order in which Jeff will read the votes aloud, organizing them for maximum drama and selecting which contestants' votes will be shown on TV. That's why the votes Jeff reveals first are the ones viewers have already seen.

Where do cast members go once they're voted out?
To Ponderosa, a nearby camp or facility. Those who don't make the jury typically leave together and stay elsewhere until the end of the game, while those who are on the jury remain at Ponderosa and on location, so they can attend Tribal Council every third day. CBS now airs an online-only series that follows life at Ponderosa, if you're curious about what happens there.

Andy Dehnart is a writer who publishes reality blurred, a daily summary of reality TV news.



http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26726792/?GT1=43001

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page