Survivor Live with Jeff

Broadcast live at CBS.com (it's free), Thurdays and Fridays, 2:00 pm ET / 11:00 am PT. Old shows are archived online for later viewing. Hosted by Chris Booker and Richard Hatch, first Survivor winner. I'll watch and blog as I get time. Note: I have a broadband connection, but the video is a bit choppy (audio is fine).

Survivor Live - Premiere - Thursday, 09.16.2004 - 38:12
The premiere of Survivor Live: the Internet Talk Show with special guest Jeff Probst.

I watched the first show and here are my notes regarding Richard Hatch's and Jeff Probst's comments (that Chris Booker guy pretty much just answered the phone).

Jeff Probst
Twila, single mom, stood out. She works three jobs and could really use the money. Working all those jobs, she has little social life and it will be interesting to see how she fits in.

Vanuatu was mild compared to All Star Survivor, where it rained 36 of the 39 days. Also the bugs weren't as bad on Vanuatu. Jeff said he was against All Star Survivor and thought it was a bad idea. He didn't think viewers wanted to see people play the game a second time. By the way, I thought it was a good idea. While shooting Vanuatu they experienced a 5.7 earthquake. He didn't say if it makes the show or not.

This is the first Survivor to have eighteen castaways, yet there are still only sixteen hours of show. So the castaways don't have a regular schedule to plan and plot around. A Tribal Council isn't every three days like in the past and maybe more than one person is sent off at a single Tribal Council.

Richard Hatch
He said that it was rare that someone played the game well all the way through it. Some people are really clueless when playing, like Lexx in All Star Survivor. The game is more mental than physical. The most important quality to do well in the game is self-awareness.

Who he thinks may go far, just from their bios and audition tapes: John K. (the mimbo) and Scout, the 59 year old renaissance woman. Hatch thinks John K. is smarter than he lets on and Scout has that self-awareness that's so important. He doesn't like John P. or Mia.

Episode 1, Fire Beats Spirit Rock

Women Win Immunity and Fire, Men Left Holding Spirit Rock (it brings good luck, so they have that going for them). Men vote off Brook (the spirit rock isn't warmed up yet).

I found the start of this Survivor to be unique and interesting. Most Survivor's start with the Castaways searching for their beaches. This one started with a ceremony by the local natives (they're reformed cannibals) that involved the ritualistic slaughtering of a wild pig and the climbing of a greased pole to get a spirit rock (Brady did the honors). I wonder who's idea it was to start the ritual by separating the men and the women? Is that part of the ceremony or did the producers want it to be that way?

Immunity Challenge
The men deserved to lose immunity. No one went to help Chris get across the beam. They all just stood there looking like idiots. At this stage, team work is very important. Was it Survivor Amazon where they started out men versus women? Whichever one it was, the women won the first four or five challenges. I hope this one is different. It gets boring for me if the same tribe loses over and over again.

Alliances
In the women's tribe it's too early to tell who's forming an alliance. This episode focused on the men since they had to vote someone off the island. By the voting, I'd say the older men are in an alliance to get rid of the young bucks. Brook was a young (27) athlete (hockey player) and the first to go. Chris (33) is not athletic and messed up the immunity challenge, yet he's still playing. That says it all.

Heroes & Villains
No real stand-outs yet. Chad (bald, peg leg) seems likable. I didn't like Lea, he refers to himself as "Sarge" (it just bugs me, OK?). Eliza seems to be stirring up the women. She speaks her mind, so I'd like her to stay around for a while (plus she's easy on the eyes).

Final thought: Why wasn't this a two hour show? The opening ceremony, immunity challenge and the Tribal Council took a lot of time. It didn't leave much time to show plotting and scheming.

Official Episode Title: "They Came at Us With Spears"

Luxury Challenge: none shown

Won Immunity: Yasur, the women's tribe (and flint to make fire)

Voted off: Brook
Voted for Brook: Chad (age 35), Chris (33), John P. (31), Lea "Sarge" (40), Rory (35), Travis (33).
Voted for Chris: Brook (27), John K. (22).
Voted for Rory: Brady (33), the FBI guy.

It appears the two youngest were told everyone was voting for Chris. But why wasn't Brady in with the pack of old wolves?

Meet the Castaways

I read through their biographies so you don't have to. Here are my notes and thoughts.

Ami, 31 barista/model, Lakewood, CO
Has attended art school and worked as a charitable director. She looks forward to being a mom and taking care of her family and she is currently dating Crissy, whom she's been with for three years.

Brady, 33, FBI Agent/Ex-Military, Huntington Beach, CA
This guy appears to be a hard ass, and they almost never go far in this game.

Brook, 27, Project Manager, Winthrop, MA
Likes to play ice hockey. Hockey players are generally outgoing people so he should do well in Vanuatu.

Chad, 35, Teacher, Oakland, CA
Cancer survivor (2 years cancer free), amputated below right knee. If he can survive cancer, Survivor should be a piece of cake.

Chris, 33, Highway Construction, South Vienna, OH
An outgoing NASCAR dad, aspires to be a teacher.

Dolly, 25, Sheep Farmer, Mercer, PA
A conservative's wet dream. She's cute, rich, a member of the NRA and a devout Christian. She wouldn't do anything that would jeopardize her spot in heaven. She may be in trouble as long as "Thou Shall Not Lie" is a requirement for heaven.

Eliza, 21, Pre-Law Student, Syracuse, NY
She's a senior at Syracuse University, where she is working a dual major in international relations and political science, with a minor in Chinese. She is a Dean's Scholar and has made Dean's List every semester. She may be too smart for her own good, kind of like Shi Ann in Thailand.

John K., 22, Mechanical Bull Operator/Model, Los Angeles, CA
A mimbo (male bimbo), the sooner he's gone the better.

John P., 31, Sales Manager, Los Angeles, CA
The home-coming king type: football scholarship, MBA, scuba diver, hunter (you know the routine). Could go far if he doesn't have an overbearing personality.

Julie, 23, Youth Mentor, Gorham, ME
A native American beauty, recently reunited with her sister. The two were separated when adopted as children.

Lea "Sarge" Masters, 40, Drill Sergeant, Columbia, SC
Also has a Masters in Chemical Engineering. He's not going to make them call him "Sarge" is he? Again, hard asses rarely go far in this game.

Leann, 35, Research Assistant, Kansasville, WI
Has worked in commercial print modeling and is an aspiring actress. She has only one kidney, she donated her other kidney to her dad.

Lisa, 44, Real Estate Agent, New Orleans, LA
She attended Louisiana State University for three years, where she was an LSU cheerleader. Employed for 10 years as a pharmaceutical sales representative. Born-again Christian.

Mia, 30, Finance Manager, Toms River, NJ
She attended Northeastern College in Boston, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice. While in Boston, she tended bar for 10 years. Bar tenders for some reason don't usually do well in reality shows.

Rory, 35, S8 Housing Case Manager, Des Moines, IA
He may be too much of a good guy to go far in this game: inner-city social service worker, counselor specializing in substance abuse, mental health evaluations and drug testing. And he's spent time working in adult and adolescent corrections and detention centers. Or he could be another Rupert.

Dr. Scout Cloud Lee, 59, Rancher/Entrepreneur, Stillwater, OK
A renaissance woman: a motivational speaker, entrepreneur, rancher, former university professor and author of eleven books and more than 100 articles. In the 1980s, Lee began focusing her skills as a singer/songwriter and has since produced two compact discs. She calls her original tunes "Country Rock Gypsy Funk." Lee has survived cancer, bankruptcy, divorce, car wrecks and horse bucks. Has had a knee replacement. Lee is in a committed relationship with Annie, her best friend and playmate of twenty-six years. Old people don't usually do well, but she could have the staying power of Rudy.

Travis "Bubba" Sampson, 33, Loss Prevention, Blountville, TN
Southern conservative. Former wrestler (known as "Romeo Bliss") and he attended a police academy. He wants to bring leadership and aggressiveness to Survivor (good luck). What, yet another hard ass? He's the one with the orange Bob Barker t-shirt.

Twila, 41, Highway Repair, Marshall, MO
A single mom, she says she's in it for the challenge. She has the usual list of outdoor activities and could go do well on Vanuatu.

Note: the castaways will reportedly start divided by gender in tribes of women and men.