Survivor 23 - South Pacific

Okay folks, I hate to tell you this, NOT ! , but it's time to start ramplng up......here's a good place to see Probst' assessment of the players. Whitney is my pick..

http://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/video/2120745645/survivor-south-pacific-jeff-probst-cast-assessment

‘Survivor: South Pacific’ Pre-Game Interview: Jeff Probst
Jeff Probst (CBS)

by Gordon Holmes
Sep 13th, 2011 | 3:27 PM | Comments 0

The first few days of “Survivor” must be ridiculously stressful for the crew. Everyone has their fingers crossed hoping the castaways are interesting, the challenges are entertaining, and the host’s new shirt color pops.

Fortunately for the start of “Survivor: South Pacific,” it seems like they scored on all three fronts.

I spoke to that host, four-time Emmy winner Jeff Probst, on the first day of shooting and had a chance to get his thoughts on how Redemption Island has been received, the contenders and pretenders in the new cast, and the evolution of his shirts…

Gordon Holmes: “Survivor” took a major leap last season with the addition of the Redemption Island twist. What did you guys learn from the way that changed the show?
Jeff Probst: I think what we learned from “Redemption Island” is that Janet (Gordon’s mom) should be sent there. Because Janet is a mom who deserves a second chance. It’s not Janet’s fault that Gordon turned out the way he did. Janet, from all accounts, was a great mom who was saddled with an unusually large burden; how to raise this kid? He grows up, he travels the world, he uses his brain for insight, observing human nature and writing about it. But at the end of the day he’s a bit of a grumppopotamus.
Holmes: (Laughing) No idea how to spell that…
Probst: So, I think we should send Janet to Redemption Island and we treat her to a spa-like environment. Hopefully we can make her life a little better than it’s been the past 30-something years.
Holmes: It amazes me how we’ve known each other over the years. We’ve only spent a few days together in Gabon, in Nicaragua, and here and yet you can read me and my life like a book.
Probst: It’s instinct.
Holmes: It’s gotta be why they’ve got you hosting this show.
Probst: It’s primal.

Holmes: Redemption Island?
Probst: Oh yeah, I think what we learned from Redemption Island is you can change a format and still have it work. I really like Redemption Island, I like the idea of a second chance. The idea originally came from the question, “How do we keep the characters we like?” Because there’s nothing we can do, This is not “The Apprentice.” Donald Trump is not in charge of who stays and who goes. So we thought if we had this loser’s bracket we could keep people around.
Holmes: What kind of feedback have you received?
Probst: Anytime you deviate from the norm you’re going to have people who say, “Aw man, I don’t like it.” But, I think it’s worth a second chance. I loved it, I heard a lot of people tell me they liked it. If it doesn’t work after this year and we decide it’s a big bust, we’ll go back to “Survivor” of old.
Holmes: The immunity idol wasn’t a huge hit right off the bat, but you tweaked it and now it’s a great addition. Will there be any changes this season to Redemption Island?
Probst: It wasn’t a big hit off of the bat? There are always people who want to say “no” to anything new. Anything. The thing about “Survivor” is it is an evolving game. Exile Island, hidden immunity idols, whatever it is, there’s going to be somebody who complains. Here’s what I believe to be true; the audience doesn’t always know what they want. And I know these words could come back to haunt me, but sometimes you have to kill off your main character. Sometimes you have to shift the show. The show evolves in a new way. I feel like that’s what’s happening with Redemption Island. We’re not abandoning the show, we’re just trying something new.
Holmes: Ralph Kiser, Matt Elrod, Andrea Boehlke, Mike Chiesl…if any one of those people had come back into the game and won it, they’d be the first person in the history of the game to be the sole survivor after having been voted out. Is there any concern that that could taint the legacy of the previous winners?
Probst: If we play this game long enough with Redemption Island in place, somebody will come back from Redemption and win. And you’ll be able to make all kinds of arguments if it was fair that they won it, whether it was as powerful…some will even say it was more impactful because they were voted out, had to win all these duels, and somehow worm their way back into the game. I really don’t think there’s a whole lot to Redemption Island other than people sitting around and saying, “Well, this is kind of different.” I really just see Redemption Island as a fun twist, nothing more than the hidden immunity idol. That’s the game, we twist it up. Next question, Gordon.

Holmes: Alright, I hate to follow up with another tough question, but a big difference we saw this morning was you wearing a green shirt. What was the thought process behind this dramatic change?
Probst: The big news that TMZ and everybody seems to want to know about is that I wore…I wore a green shirt. It’s funny…it’s emotional a little bit. It doesn’t mean that the blue shirts and I are over. I’m just trying to expand my world a little bit. I’m trying to get the most I can out of this life. I wanted to wear green…and I don’t regret it.

Holmes: Why are we back in Samoa?
Probst: There are a couple of reasons. One, there are only a couple of place you can go in the world right now between political unrest and weather problems. It’s not like there are 50 locations out there screaming for “Survivor.” We require quite a bit. We require a government that works with us. We require isolated islands. And we require an infrastructure that can house 325 people for many months. So, it’s a tall order. Another reason is we feel a kinship with this island community and they suffered a pretty lethal tsunami after we left two years ago. We tried to help out as much as we could, but by bringing the whole show back, you’re bringing in a lot of revenue and employment.

Holmes: Who do you like from this season’s cast?
Probst: We have a great cast this season. I know I’ve said that every year, but 70% of the people this year I would be happy with them going to the end. The rest of them? Semhar? She’s in trouble. Stacey? Unfortunately in trouble. I wish that she’d last, but I don’t think she’s going to. Mark the cop, I think he’s in trouble.
Holmes: Who are the favorites?
Probst: Cochran. This little, nerdish kid from Harvard, who straight out of the gate in front of everybody says, “Hey Probst, could you call me Cochran? Cause I just want to be like all the greats like Donaldson and Mariano and Penner. You call all the greats by their last names.” It seemed like such a little fanboy thing to do, but what he did psychologically was make himself likable. I think he knows what he’s doing and I don’t think there’s any chance he’ll be voted out first. He’s a student of the game and he’s very smart. I also like Rick the cowboy. I love the mustache, I love the hat, I love the belt buckle. And I love that he’s smart enough to know that even though he can fish and build a shelter, he’s holding back. I like Jim Rice as a villain. And even though he may think he’s not a villain…Jim, you’re a villain. On this show, you’re going to come off as a little untrustworthy, but a great interview. From the women, I like Mikayla a lot. She’s a tomboy. I hope she delivers. I hope she doesn’t dry up and fall away. I hope she digs down and fights to stay in this game.
Holmes: What can we expect from Brandon Hantz?
Probst: Brandon Hantz is one of the wild cards. Russell is his uncle and brought him to us, but we vetted him just like we would anyone else. We made sure to ask ourselves if he wasn’t Russell’s nephew, would we want him on the show? And the answer was absolutely. I think he’ll be a fish out of water. He’s young, he hasn’t done a lot of traveling. Here’s the dilemma. I trust him. I think he’s a nice guy. I think he’s a loving husband and a father. But I’m aware that what’s running through his blood is running through Russell’s blood and he could already be playing me.

“Survivor: South Pacific” premieres Wednesday, September 14, 2011 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

As in judging beauty contests, it's easy to pick the "losers" first (that's how the judges do it, trust me. ) but much harder to pick a winner at this early stage. Can't say that I agree with his picks, yet, there just isn't enough to go on, yet, so..........

http://xfinitytv.comcast.net/blogs/2011/tv-news/survivor-south-pacific-pre-game-rankings/?cmpid=FCST_tvnews

After last night's premier I'll agree that Samhar deserves her 16th ranking and being the first to Redemption Island she proves it. I don't think Cochran deserves as high as 6th, and his performance last night proved it. I predict that he will be the second to go to R.I. , next week but in the comp. between him and Samhar he will probably win so he'll be around for a couple more weeks. Jim as #1 is annoying already. I would like to see him go soon....

I don't know if Carla will be the permanent reporter for Survivor. She does okay here.....but Kubicek has done such a good job with BB that I think he should have a blog for Survivor too...


Two Return and One Gets Outwitted on the Season Premiere of 'Survivor: South Pacific'
Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Carla Patton

Survivor: South Pacific is here! In the interest of full disclosure, I fell off the Survivor bandwagon for a while, so I've never seen Ozzy or Coach in action. But I've YouTubed it! Oh, I've seen some YouTubes. And I know Coach is called the Dragonslayer, which is awesome. Like last season, this season is all about redemption. And I'm so glad they're doing Redemption Island again!

First, we have this law school guy, John, who has seen every episode. Maybe he'll be awesome? The yin to his yang is Elyse, who is relying on pretty and her "ancestral background." There's this cowboy fellow, Rick, who is immediately my favorite (I SAID IT), and my other favorite, Stacey, who is a sassy funeral director.

Russell's nephew, Brandon, is on the show! But it's a seeeeecret. He says he doesn't think Hitler's nephew would run around identifying himself as such, and that is totally fair. I can not even soak this in enough. The new tribes situate themselves in front of Jeff, and Jeff says two more people are joining them.

"I hope it's not Russell!" says a woman in a business suit (what was she thinking?) TO RUSSELL'S NEPHEW! Brandon swears he will take this secret to the grave, except he kind of talks like Russell and he has not one but TWO tattoos that say Hantz on them. So he just has to keep his shirt on for 39 days. "That would ... suck," Brandon agrees, unconvincingly.

Ozzy and Coach step out, and everyone hopes they get Ozzy, who was born to be wild. Coach is wearing his finest dragon blazer, though. A blonde woman identifies them as "temporary players," and John insists on being called Cochran by Jeff, because he wants the godfather's blessing. I love this guy. I love him. He is my boyfriend.

Ozzy and Coach smash their paint eggs, and Ozzy is on the Orange-ish Red team with Cochran. Coach is on the Blue tribe with Rick the cowboy, Brandon, and the blonde who identified him as "temporary."

Ozzy vs Coach
For the first challenge, Ozzy will square up against Coach! They're climbing to the top of a pole, crawling under a log, and building a pyramid puzzle. I would totally know how to do that puzzle because I play Professor Layton on my DS. Also, I am sitting on my couch and feeling pretty confident!

Of course Ozzy is a complete beast at this challenge, climbing up the pole like Mowgli and wriggling under the pole with ease. But then the puzzle is hard because neither of them listened to the directions on how to do it. The tribes help their heroes, and it's looking good for Ozzy, whose head is not filled with cotton candy. It's Russell and Rob all over again. Ozzy wins, and his tribe embraces him. Coach sits a good three feet away from the rest of his tribe.

On their way back to camp, Business Suit Lady Edna offers Coach a helping hand. She's DEVIOUS.

Camp Sweet Camp
Back at camp, Savaii, the orange tribe looks to Ozzy for guidance, and he welcomes that strategically. The tribe has Cochran the law student, a songwriter, and Semhar, a spoken word poet (who Ozzy and I immediately have crushes on). They all go for a swim, and Cochran doesn't feel great about stripping down to his underwear and translucent skin. Cochran is the best.

At Blue Camp (Upolu), Coach tells everyone he is NOT a threat, but that's what threats say! Blue tribe has another baseball coach, and a Russian Economics major. Damn, girl. Edna, the lethal anesthesiologist has decided to team up with Coach pretty much immediately. And of course, that snakey blonde, Christine, runs off not-so-subtly to look for the immunity idol. You don't have to be Cochran to know that's a dumb move on Day 1.

Jim, the medical marijuana dispenser (yes!), is excited for all the hot ladies on his tribe. He also told everyone he was a teacher when really he has an MBA and two dispensaries and has won two poker tournaments. Mark, a retired NYPD Detective is gay, and loveable, and hairy. I love everyone except Christine! Savaii is not so good at getting work done, though. Not with this medical marijuana guy around and all these potential clients. Dawn, the English Professor, is worried. Methinks Ozzy is stretching out his usefulness for maximum results.

Among his two Hantz tattoos, Brandon has "Loco" tattooed on his neck. He is ashamed of maybe all his tattoos, but the ladies love crazy. Mikayla, Upolu's hot chick, is the object of desire. She is a lingerie football player, after all (that's a job?). Brandon likes her, but he's also married and is looking straight into the boobs of temptation. He is immediately in love, and in trouble with the Lord. Damn you, lingerie football!

As the stars come out, Upolu admires them as they make fun of Coach. He advises them to have a strong five and go out there and have fun and, you know, just live. But this is "Sneaky Coach 3.0" talking. We'll see how well this goes for him.

Dawn Breaks
The next morning at Savaii, Crazy Dawn tries to boil water and puts the fire out. She is already going nuts. They haven't even been there 24 hours, and she is losing it. She talks to Mark, who is like "us old people need to stick together," and Dawn tries to pull a vine down to prove she's not old but it just made her fall down and look crazier. She can't handle not being in control. Dawn is already crying, cracking, and quitting. GET YOURSELF TOGETHER, DAWN!

Ozzy calms her as much as possible. But she's so frazzled. All the young people are like, "uhhhhh okaaaay," and Mark is like, "sh*t."

So Ozzy decides to help his tribe out by actually setting up camp. There's no way they will get rid of Ozzy because he's helpful and good at things, and there's no way they'll get rid of Cochran at this point because he is hilarious and entertaining. And Cochran is hoping he can get by on charm alone.

At Upolu, Brandon is going fishing, having made his shirt into a bolero top to cover his Hantz tattoos. But you can't just wear a bolero top in the South Pacific anymore these days. Sophie, the Russian Economics student knows he's up to something pretty much immediately.

I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts: The First Immunity Challenge
The tribes will race through pathways and a "web of coconuts," scale a wall, chop some ropes releasing a bin of coconuts, then launch said coconuts into a basket to raise a flag. You had me at web of coconuts, Probst.

In Savaii, everyone wants to shoot the coconuts, including this guy who looks like a young Peter Gallagher. But we'll worry about Sandra Bullock saving him from almost certain Chicago Elevated Train death later. Upolu is actually doing this challenge pretty well, since they strategized the wall better, while Savaii was arguing over shooting coconuts.

Ozzy is a freak, man. He's pulling this tribe on his shoulders. It's Ozzy vs. Rick at the machete hack, but Rick just beats him releasing those coconuts. Ozzy, Semhar, and Young Peter Gallagher (Keith, apparently) all get to shoot coconuts. Semhar is not doing very well, even though she was emphatic about her abilities to do it.

"Can we switch, Probst?"
"NO!" Awesome.

Upolu wins immunity, and Savaii is probably wishing they'd spent less time hanging out in the sea. It was close, though! Jeff reveals a twist to Upolu, the first clue to the hidden immunity idol is hidden at camp. They have to find the clue, first.

Jeff asks Semhar, whose fault it is they lost, how she feels, and she plays with her pretty hair, complaining about the coconuts being heavier than she thought or whatever. Marijuana Jim is BAFFLED AND PISSED. He wants Semhar out, but he doesn't know that Ozzy has a crush on her so she might stay.

The Game Has Started
Back at Upolu, everyone is trying to act casual about searching for the hidden clue. Stacey takes on a strategy of "looking and looking like I'm working at the same time." And she totally found it but didn't know she found it, but she knew she might have done just that. Stacey!

At Savaii, Semhar unleashes on Jim. She is not making herself look good here. Cochran could have a chance! Can't we keep worthless Semhar around and get rid of crazy Dawn? Mark has agreed to align with Dawn, because of age, and they're both hoping Semhar has attracted enough negative attention.

Of course, Ozzy is fighting for Semhar to stay, and Cochran to leave. No! Ozzy is a little devious, and not being completely honest with us. But what does Young Peter Gallagher have to say about all this?! I'm glad that Secret Marijuana Jim told Cochran about Ozzy's plan. This is turning into a real game, y'all! Mark likes an underdog, so he's also pulling for Cochran, in addition to Unstable Dawn.

Cochran says what we're all thinking, "this is insulting! They're going to kick me off when I'm here with Papa Bear, and Semhar, all these girls?!" Ahhh, Cochran, I hope you stick around.

Savaii Gets Fire
First Tribal Council here we go! Jeff asks Dawn if she has thought about Redemption Island and that first person being there alone. What Jeff already knows is that Dawn has thought about EVERYTHING. She promises she's better now, though.

Is Jim your favorite? He's definitely one of mine (but I have like, ten favorites). Whitney the Songwriter is just happy to be here. Semhar and Cochran are identified as targets, and Mark is now identified as Papa Bear. Oh, and Cochran is NOT HAVING IT. He has worked too hard, watched this show too long, to go home now! I don't like the way that Keith/Young Peter Gallagher is laughing at him.

I guess we can see why Semhar does spoken word poetry and not written poetry, since she spelled it "Coachran." You can tell Cochran got a kick out of participating in a Tribal Council at all. In a surprise twist, Cochran gets one vote (well, "Coachran" gets one vote), and Semhar gets the rest of them! Excellent. Have fun on Redemption Island! She cried the whole way, and Ozzy immediately regrets not teaching her how to make a fire. That really is too bad.

Next week we meet "New Cochran" and Brandon can't fashion a bolero shirt over the secrets eating him from within.

Who do you love? Who do you like? Who do you hate? Would you trust the returning players?