Survivor:Cook Islands starts tonight!

[mrswaz]

Just thought I'd put this out here for those of you (like me) who are fans, but have been living under a rock and had no clue it started tonight. :rolleyes:

ETA: SPOILERS AHEAD.... Don't read any further if you haven't seen the first episode.

[Escher]

I've already got the theme music rattling around my largely empty head.

O, dee o dee o dee odeeo, o, dee o dee o dee ooooo....

I wonder if there will be anyone to rival the perfection of last year's Misty...

ah, Misty, we hardly knew you...

[Escher]

I'm such a sucker for brunettes w/ light eyes...
http://survivor.wkrc.com/images/bios/Misty_big.jpg

[Escher]

http://www.clear-lake-reflections.com/coffeecity/misty.jpg

I'm pretty sure this qualifies as obsession.

[Escher]

Did you know Misty was a beauty queen?
Miss Teen Texas, in fact.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/bb/GilesTXTUSA99.jpg/180px-GilesTXTUSA99.jpg
I've always had a soft spot for a subtle southern accent, too.

[Angelina]

Survivor is my only CAN-NOT-MISS show. I don't know I am so addicted to it, but as soon as I hear their theme music, I feel as if I am getting a fix after a long long time. :D

I even asked to leave early tonight so that those fickle subways can not mess with my 8pm timing.

Angela

[Gracie]

We are also fans and will be watching. Did anyone else smile when you heard the commercials/trailers for the show that they are separating the tribes by race?

Although we are fans, we are thinking that there's not much else new they can do with this show. Our suggestion would be to host it in the Arctic, or somewhere very COLD. :D

Loren

[Escher]

Our suggestion would be to host it in the Arctic, or somewhere very COLD. :D
Loren

That's something to mull over, but here's why I don't think it will happen:
A) too much real danger someone will get overexposed/hypothermia
B) they will be wearing too much clothes. Snow wear just isn't sexy.

Another alternative episode might be centered on politics... A conservative tribe and a liberal tribe....

[mrswaz]

Although we are fans, we are thinking that there's not much else new they can do with this show. Our suggestion would be to host it in the Arctic, or somewhere very COLD. :D

Loren

Could you imagine the disappointment of the Survivors when they show up in a bikini and get handed a parka?

DH wants to see a Pro-Am version, where they take a tribe of previous Survivors and have them compete against a group of new Survivors.

[Gracie]

You're right about both A and B! But we were seriously trying to think up some way they could shake up the show. They're on Season 10 I think and it's just more of the same - different people - same issues.

But we're still watching!!! :)

Loren

[KristiB]

I've never seen an entire season-I get bored or else someone I like gets kicked off.

Hopefully this one will be better than the last few seasons.

[zwieback]

Escher, does Misty need to take out a restraining order against you?? :p :D

We've got Survivor on our Tivo list!

[Angelina]

Does anybody have a favorite season? Mine was...hmm...I think it was the Panama one, with Rudy and that despicable blond Fairplay guy. I loved it since the first episode when Rudy stole the other team's shoes. :D

Angela

[raka1214]

I would like to see one where they change tribes every day or every other day - that way NO ONE has the opportunity to forge alliances or gang up on any one person - it would definitly keep everyone on their toes!

[Escher]

I would like to see one where they change tribes every day or every other day - that way NO ONE has the opportunity to forge alliances or gang up on any one person - it would definitly keep everyone on their toes!

Totally agreed. I think tribal alliances are totally silly. Ally with people you like, or people who are strong, or people who work hard at camp...those are good reasons. But allying under the banner of a made up tribe? That's silly.

[KimE]

I am so pi$$ed...I won't be home tonight--going to a concert with the girls and to top it off I will be out of town next Thursday as well :mad:

I am counting on all of you to fill me in until I can once again have my Survivor "take out & beer" night :D

Kim

[jem927]

Wasn't it Rupert that stole the shoes?

And trust me, TIVO is set to record! I can't miss an episode - I go into withdrawals.

Jamie

[Escher]

Wasn't it Rupert that stole the shoes?

And trust me, TIVO is set to record! I can't miss an episode - I go into withdrawals.

Jamie

Yes, you are correct. Rudy was the crochety old man from season 1, who was just adoreable in his cluelessness.

Not unlike myself.

[Angelina]

Yes! Sorry! Rupert!

So what did everybody think? I was glad to see Sekou go. All this bragging about a fire he never started... :rolleyes:

And what about Chicken Roller Girl? I hope they never catch the rooster and it drives them nuts, crowing at all times of the day and night, and them never catching it.... :D

Angela

[mrswaz]

Angelina... you should post a spoilers alert before going into discuss mode... :o

No worries though, I was able to go back and edit my original post for spoilers. Maybe start a new thread to discuss though?

[KristiB]

Spoilers!!!
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That was a tough first challenge! Weren't they supposed to put the puzzles in place on the ladder before they climbed up? I think the whiteys got away with one on that. A couple of tribe members were already up at the top when they put the letters in. They most likely still would have won, but still.

[LakeMartinGal]

Spoilers!!!
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Yea Cao Boi! I'm glad whoever's headache went away because I hate it when everybody turns against the oldest on the first day.


I don't know... this guy bothered me. He was off eating by himself, and since I know nothing about the 'fix' he put on that headache, was it necessary to give him that sore, or was that just a mean thing to do... :confused: The number of headaches I get, I'd have that sucker permanently between my eyes~ :rolleyes:

[Escher]

The black team made a huge tactical error.

The guy they voted off (who did seem a bit boorish) was one of their only two males, and possibly the largest person on the island.

He surely would have been an asset in physical challenges.
But what's more, he was one of the only two men on the team...that means when contests are segregated by gender (as many are) the remaining guy will have to step up every time, and his endurance will be severely tested

[stacy7272]

The guy they voted off (who did seem a bit boorish) was one of their only two males, and possibly the largest person on the island.

He surely would have been an asset in physical challenges.

I was thinking the opposite - I mean, what can that guy do with that huge spare tire around his middle? I feel the black team was at a disadvantage from the beginning - they seemed to have only one fit person on the whole team! Although - they got far behind the challenge well before the physical started.

Oh Escher - I was thinking of you because Parvati really reminded me of Misty. What do you think?

[raka1214]

Caught the last few minutes of Hiki before going to TC only and was NOT surprised that Stephanie voted with the other women the way the guy was coming across to her. Mistake? Probably but they will probably not realize it until much later on.

[mrswaz]

Oh Escher - I was thinking of you because Parvati really reminded me of Misty. What do you think?


I thought of Escher the minute I saw her. I'm spending way too much time on this BB I think.

[Escher]

Oh Escher - I was thinking of you because Parvati really reminded me of Misty. What do you think?

Ah, I can certainly see the similarity. I'll have to see her personality more before I commit. But lo! I see she grew up in Georgia, so she should have an accent.

Very tasty dish, indeed.

http://wwwimage.cbs.com/primetime/survivor13/images/survivors/299x623_parvati.jpg

[Escher]

Becky Lee also caught my eye.
http://z.about.com/d/realitytv/1/0/F/v/becky.jpg

Yummy.

[Escher]

Ok, Parvati it is... she was on her HS swim team for 4 years (should be useful for challenges) and she was a boxer.

I'm afraid Mrs Lee is a lawyer. Bzzzt! exit stage right. (But I'll still enjoy watching her).

Maybe Parvati and Becky will engage in a boxing match...and get all sweaty and glistening, wrestling one another to the ground, panting....



Excuse me, I must, ah, be alone for a little bit.

[KristiB]

article on AOL I thought might be interesting -

Ethnic at Night

In the season premiere of ''Survivor,'' the system of segregating the tribes by race causes more tension within the groups than between them by Dalton Ross

There was no rioting in the street. Civilization did not come to a grinding halt. Jeff Probst was not forced as punishment to prepare shrimp toast and pupu platters on the Martha Stewart show...Actually, scratch that last one, but Survivor: Cook Islands finally premiered last night, and I'm pretty sure those two other things did not happen. (Although I would like to take this opportunity to announce that because of the controversial nature of this week's column, Milwaukee's Best has pulled out of being an official sponsor of the EW Survivor TV Watch. In a statement released by a company spokesperson, the brewery stated, ''We never sponsored that lunatic Ross to begin with. It's all in his head. In fact, we offered to pay him to stop talking about us, but...'' Okay, okay, I think you get the picture. In any event, from now on, the EW Survivor TV Watch will be sponsored by the smooth, delicious taste of Pabst Blue Ribbon.)

Look, anyone who read my article in Entertainment Weekly or saw me chillin' with the ''shocked'' and ''dismayed'' Harry Smith on The Early Show knows I had serious reservations about the racially divided format of Cook Islands. And I still do. But I'm not going to sit and dwell on right and wrong for 14 weeks. I will say this, however: As far as theater goes, episode 1 was pretty **** good, starting right with the brutal opening on the choppy high seas, which included some hardcore vomiting among both cast and crew that did not make it to the final edit. It was also nice to see Probst go all old school on us and ditch the hat, although that happened simply because it was casting too much of a shadow. Whatever — we'll take it.

Beyond the whole Is this the most offensive stunt in TV history? thing, my other concern was that the producers would be so worried about being too negative that the show would turn into some feel-good hand-holding exercise completely devoid of drama. I'm not saying I wanted people running around hurling racial slurs, but if they were truly going to examine the issue of race, I wanted to make sure it wasn't all packaged neatly with a bow on top, because discussions on race rarely are. Yet the Asian tribe had not even made it to the island and already Cao Boi was being admonished by his tribe for ''making stereotypes'' when joking about Asians being small. ''What's fact is fact,'' he replied. (And, for those of you keeping track on the Survivor stereotype tote board, yes, the Asian tribe did finish the challenge puzzle the fastest, and no, the black people were not able to paddle. Not commenting, just pointing out, especially since the producers have repeatedly mentioned how this season is about smashing such stereotypes.)

You also had Billy with the quote of the night: ''I don't know about you,'' said the Dominican-American death-metal guitarist, ''but I feel this is *** backward, like our parents got on a raft — at least my parents did — and paddled away from an island just so I could have a good life, and here I am paddling back to an island.'' The point is, the show is not shying away from showing some strife and humor. Doing so would have made the whole thing merely offensively boring.

Here are a few other tidbits and impressions I can share from my time on location:

1. If Cao Boi seemed crazy — especially when he disfigured Brad's face — it's because...well, he is! But in an oddly charming way. Charming enough to keep should they lose a challenge? Probably not, but the guy is full of entertaining — if slightly embellished — stories.

2. Speaking of the Asian tribe (I could call them Puka Puka, but really, what's the point?), one thing you don't really get to see in the episode is how incredible their camp is, almost as impressive as the ''Older Men'' one from last season. They even managed to construct a pretty impressive chicken trap. The worst camp? That would belong to the whites. They basically have no shelter whatsoever to speak of, and you saw what happened when Flicka tried to check on the chickens. I can only assume the rest of her tribe wanted to flicka her off after that disaster.

3. The moment after the challenge when Jeff called out Sekou and Nathan for not including the ladies in their decision to send Jonathan to Exile Island may not have seemed like a huge deal in the episode, but being there, I can tell you, it definitely was. I'm not saying the vote would have been any different if Jeff hadn't said something (as he should have, by the way — it was blatantly obvious to everyone there), but it did pretty much seal the deal for Sekou's departure. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: You have to play Jeff Probst just as much as — if not more than — any other element in the game.

4. I know what you're all wondering out there, people: Now that Sally Schumann has come and gone, who is Dalton's pathetic Survivor crush going to be this time around? Well, Flicka has the Schumann knee-high sock action going, but the roller girl might be a little too wavy gravy. Parvati is definitely hot, but she's also a boxer and could kick my ***, so that's no good. Becky is attractive, but she calls herself Bossy Becky, so I'm not so sure how that would work out. And then there is Cristina, who is a freakin' police officer and once got shot in the arm. So many tough ladies. And I am such a weak man. I might need a few more episodes to figure this one out.

[Escher]

KristiB (or anyone)
Can you link where you got that column from?

I'd like to read more from that writer....

And how does he/she know what was edited, etc?

[KristiB]

I got the story of AOL. I can't find the link

Dalton Ross writes TV reviewsfor Entertainment Weekly and is living with the Castaways. He's pretty funny. The last time he did this his column showed up in EW.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/09/14/earlyshow/series/survivor/main2007913.shtml