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Rhune
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Episode 1 Recaps
« on: Sep 20^th, 2002, 8:20am »

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'Survivor: Thailand' Picks Sides
Thu, Sep 19, 2002 11:52 PM PDT
by Brill Bundy
Zap2it, TV News

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - The fifth installment of Mark Burnett's reality show phenomenon, "Survivor: Thailand," premiered on Thursday (Sept. 19) night and, as promised, the name's the same, but the game is up for grabs.

Despite misleading promos that indicated that the two tribes might be divided down gender lines, the show had something else in mind.

Host Jeff Probst started off by having all 16 contestants introduce themselves by name, profession and where they're from. Following everyone's spontaneous clapping for New York cop and de facto hero Ken Stafford, Jeff then asked the two eldest of the group -- Jake Billingsley, 60, and Jan Gentry, 53 -- to come to the front.

Going only on the information that they could pick either the camp that would get sunrise or sunset, Jan and Jake were each assigned the tribes Chuay Ghan (sunrise) and Sook Jai (sunset) and the tribe colors red and purple.

The newly anointed tribal captains were then charged with selecting their tribe members, alternating between men and women. Jake goes for the young, athletic prospects, easily picking up Stephanie Dill, Ken, Penny Ramsey, Jed Hildebrand, Shii Ann Huang, Robb Zbacnik and Erin Collins.

Jan, uncomfortable in the spotlight, accumulated a more scattershot crew consisting of Ted Rogers Jr., Helen Glover, John Raymond, Ghandia Johnson, Brian Heidik, Tanya Vance and Clay Jordan.

The tribal dynamics rapidly start forming during the first two days. The Chuay Ghans quickly find shelter and an abundance of seafood (clams, crabs and oysters), while the Sook Jais spend the first night swimming and cavorting and Day 2 divided over whether or not they should concentrate on food or shelter, thus accomplishing neither before the rains (its monsoon season) come.

The first tree mail comes on Day 3 and both tribes are told that the Immunity Challenge before them will require their minds as well as their muscle.

Jake, who has realized that young and enthusiastic doesn't equate smart, notes that they have the brawn but aren't covered on the brains.

"That other team are definitely inferior to our youth and our strength," 23-year-old bartender and Sook Jai member Robb observes. "We definitely got all the hot chicks -- or most of them -- and we definitely got the young, strong guys, which is huge."

During the Immunity Challenge, which proves to be a three-part obstacle course incorporating paddling, swimming and puzzle-solving, the Chuay Ghans take an early and healthy lead until Ghandia chokes during the final puzzle, allowing Jed to come from behind and win Immunity for the Sook Jais.

Although Ghandia is certain that her shortcoming will cause her to be voted out, pastor John has made more enemies by being difficult from the start. In a speedy Tribal Council, six votes are gathered to make him the first person sent home. The remaining two votes are split between Ghandia and restaurant owner Clay, who Helen think is well-off financially and doesn't need the prize money.

« Last Edit: Sep 20^th, 2002, 9:41am by Rhune »

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Rhune
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Re: Episode Recaps
« Reply #1 on: Sep 20^th, 2002, 9:41am »

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From True Dork Times
http://www.truedorktimes.com/s5/recaps/

Dude, Where's My Skateboard?

Seeing as how it's been four long months since we've had fresh Survivor episodes to ridicule, we thought we'd take it easy on them this week. It is a new season, and in light of the wretched snubbing poor, poor Mark Burnett took at the "Creative" Emmys this week, we thought we'd take a week off from the sniping, as a gesture of respect.
Luckily for you, that brief pause happened last week, and we're raring to go for another 13 weeks of crabbiness, finger-waving, and name calling. And from the sounds of it, you might see some of that on the show, too, around the third episode. This is one of the beneficent, expository gestures Mark Burnett made as he slithered his way through the requisite rounds of media whoring this week. In another revelation (and as he notes, "This is huge!"), get this: the tribes will not be men vs. women. Really! We're wondering if he's going to sue himself for revealing that cloesly-guarded trade secret.
And if you're among the 1% of Survivor watchers who hadn't known this since mid-August, when the cast was announced on the Early Show, perhaps you should stop reading now. The stunning revelations contained within may be too much for your fragile eggshell of a mind to withstand. Either that, or you could join Sook-Jai, and help raise their collective I.Q.
But we should have had suspicions about Sook-Jais collective "genius" from the start, as the cast emerges stumbling through poor Hat Sai Yaow villagers' laundry. Yes, it did in some ways resemble them emerging from a curtain. But considering the expense put into Jeff Probst's fancy gold-leaf, jewel-encrusted snuffer, couldn't they have just made one? Rather than having Penny wave cheerfully at villagers, as if to say, "Hi! Thanks for letting me stick my head in the underwear you're trying to dry!" In retrospect, it may have been worth it, because we did get to see Robb ride his skateboard. How sweet.
Eventually, after waiting through Jeff Probst's traditional "39 days, 16 people, 1 Survivor" monologue (faithfully starting the show in a "whole new way,") and an extended intro, we get the new pack of hamsters onto their Habitrail island. First, Jeff Probst has the cast introduce themselves, stating their name, age and occupation. Showing remarkable memory skills, Jeffy is able to, through no added prompting from the producers, recall that Jan is the oldest woman (really!), and that Jake the oldest man. Amazing! This is important, because, in the producers' enduring effort to keep the show "fresh," they replace the traditional pre-assigned teams with a draft. Yes, Survivor is going back to grade school P.E. class. And in a touching moment sure to garner many, many future Emmys, the point of picking the oldest contestants is made clear: so that they can grunt and point at people whose names they just heard 30 seconds ago.
Slowly, slooooowly, they select tribes. Until, as in gym class, poor lonely Erin and Clay sit forlornly, hoping to still hear their names called. Or at least a grunt and wave in their direction. After this, a spontaneous game of dodgeball breaks out, as the contestants whing their authentic-looking Thai bags at each others' heads. Jeff Probst leaps into the middle of it, screaming, "Save it for Episode 3!" After dusting off, they decide to row to their respective camps. Sook-Jai, naturally, decides to do this backwards, despite having seen the direction in which the bow is supposed to point all of ten minutes ago. Oh, those wacky kids!
Luckily for the senior citizens on the competing Chuay-Gahn tribe, Pastor John is already busy telling them how to row. Silently, his tribemates each mutter, "Well why don't you just part the Andaman Sea there for us, God-boy?" Apparently, John had not bothered to watch the first episodes of Survivors 2 or 3. Tanya, between vomiting episodes, cheerfully begs the producers to put her on the other tribe.
To which Mark Burnett responds, "Have you actually seen the other tribe? They scamper around faster than a bunch of coked-up spider monkeys, and we seem to have lost half of them in the jungle. Several cameramen, too." After an exhaustive search, it turns out they were all just watching Robb swing around on vines for several hours. "He's a [word deleted by CBS censors] case," Jake admits. "We tried to get him to come down, but he just kept jumping back up. It's like he has ferrets down his trousers, or something." Silently, as he watches his hand-picked tribe cavorting about the island like hyper-caffeinated hummingbirds, it begins to dawn on Jake that maybe his strategy of "Picking the hot chicks, and the guys who look like hot chicks" may have backfired. Still, if he can build some sort of net-like device, he might be able to corral his horde of skinny dippers long enough to build some sort of shelter, and perhaps get some food. At least before the merge.
Meanwhile, Chuay-Gahn coast into their beach, disembark, and have a group hug. Then they retire to their cave. *Yawn*.
With the immunity challenge still two days away, the time has to be filled with something semi-substantive. For Chuay-Gahn, it's the half-day trek to their water supply. Once again, John finds ways to ingratiate himself with his tribe along the way, wandering off by himself, and playing funny pranks. Oh, what a kidder! At least he avoided talking about holes. Well, except for the water hole, of course.
With their water source within spitting distance of their camp (we're pretty sure they had a contest to test this out), the Sook-Jais settle down for a good long day of bickering. Several factions seem to emerge. Jake and Ken, who do the work. Jed and Shii Ann, who do what they please. And Robb, who does a little bit of everything, including yelling at everyone who's not doing what he wants. Shii Ann cries, possibly because he called her "Dude." Unexplained blood pours from his lip piercing. And as it appears the tribe's previously inexhaustible amphetamine supply has run out, it starts raining. Robb, the thinker of the group, uses this opportunity to remind the others that shelter protects them from the rain.
Finally, we get around to the long-awaited immunity challenge. Mark Burnett comes through on his promise of "all new challenges" this year, by replacing the canoe race in the first IC from Survivor 4 with... a canoe race. Ah, but since challenges include a mix of "brain and brawn" now, there are stops along the way to test the tribes mental fortitude. Collectively, Sook Jai breathe a sigh of relief when Probst reveals there are only two mental tests, requiring one person each, so Robb and Erin will not be forced to participate. True, they do end up putting a former cheerleader on one of them, but hey, this is Sook-Jai.
Surprisingly, the challenge ends up not being won by Sook-Jai's brawn, but by Ghandia's inability to open the knife drawer. Perhaps it was glued down, or something. Anyway, Chuay-Gahn must vote someone off, and the candidates quickly emerge. Helen makes note of Tanya's continued puking, suggesting it may be a liability. Tanya acknowledges this. So of course, she doesn't receive any votes. Instead, it's shrewd, practical-joking John, who confidently states that it "hasn't gotten tough yet" for him. Even after being voted out, he seems surprised that his strategy of isolation and bossiness has failed. If only he'd been a Sook-Jai.

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Rhune
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Re: Episode 1 Recaps
« Reply #2 on: Sep 20^th, 2002, 9:59am »

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'Survivor' tribe sees its strength in youth
By PHIL KLOER
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer

Starting its fifth run of unreal reality, "Survivor" has its act down pat. Let other reality shows wallow in chaos; "Survivor" wants to tell structured stories.

On Thursday's premiere of "Survivor: Thailand," the tale was about the arrogance of youth, as one of the new tribes, Sook Jai, perceived itself as having more strong young men, the better to win physical contests.

And not just the young guys.

"We definitely got all the hot chicks," crowed bartender Robb Zbanick, who brought his skateboard to the island off the coast of Thailand.

But producer Mark Burnett also cued viewers to root against the Sook Jais, showing them as undisciplined, pulling in different directions and unable to gather much food.

So even though one of their members, Stephanie Dill, went skinny-dipping her first night, that may not serve the tribe's interests in the long run, even if it serves some viewers' interests.

The relentless promotions for the fifth "Survivor" had teased viewers that the show might be a battle of the sexes this time, but that was never a possibility.

Instead, the "shocking surprise" was that the two oldest contestants, land broker Jake Billingsley, 61, and first-grade teacher Jan Hildebrand, 53, were made tribe captains and told to choose their sides one by one. The result was a bit like seventh-grade dodgeball in terms of shaky egos.

But in the end the shakiest status went to John Raymond, a 40-year-old pastor, who was the first person voted off the island, apparently for trying to assume too much leadership too quickly.

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Rhune
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Re: Episode 1 Recaps
« Reply #3 on: Sep 21^st, 2002, 2:39am »

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Body For Life Lasts Three Days

Bossy, aloof behavior is still the best way to get voted off Survivor.
BY DAVID MILLER
Friday, September 20, 2002

The bastards still haven't picked me! That's right. Unbelievably, foolishly, CBS has once again failed to cast me in the latest installment of Survivor. It's a move likely to spell doom for the show. Maybe it was my fault. I was going for the bland, low-muscle tone look that apparently is not "in" this year.

On the upside, I'm here again to write about Survivor, which undoubtedly provides more entertainment than the show itself. I promise that my own application experience will in no way impair my objectivity. If you detect a tinge of resentment in my articles, it must have come from my editor. Now lets have a look at the little monkeys who will be aping it up on your TV this fall...

The new start was a good idea. Having the elders pick the tribes was an effective way of keeping the geezers from being. Not that they needed any help. Jan and particularly Jake seem as competent as any seniors the show has had. Jan had a perplexing picking strategy. Was she after the highest total weight or highest total age?

The two tribes where given the Jedi knightly names Chuay Gahn and Sook Jai, and took up camp on opposing sides of the island. This episode did a fair job of distributing airtime. We got to see a little of everybody, and a lot of Stephanie. Finally, a female exhibitionist. Brian and Penny may have had the least airtime. But I get the feeling that they will be around long enough to make it up. Brian is fortunate to be in the misfit tribe, where he won't attract any votes. Penny is fit, sharp, and socially adept.

On Jake's team, two "B" Robb and two "I" Shii stepped up to make themselves vote-off candidates with premature displays of temper. Robb was trying to sucker Shii Ann into blistered hand showdown. Next time Shii Ann, the proper response is "Those look like vine burns, Tarzan."

Pastor John stood out as a first-off candidate before the show had even begun. Website prognosticators honed in on him. He didn't let them down, being a take-charge type from the first row into camp. He followed up with a go-my-own way jaunt and a goofy look- at-our-crappy-water joke. A revealing moment for John is when he tactlessly said Ghandia is of little use to the tribe physically or mentally, in a way he probably didn't think was tactless.

Somebody had to say it though. When you screw up a challenge as blatantly as Ghandia, you should be voted off. What I really wanted to know is why Jake's "athletic" tribe was so far behind at that point. It is a mistake to vote off John, just like it was a mistake to vote off Peter first last season. Both were irritating, but otherwise competent. They can be of use in challenges, and people will always be willing to vote them off later.

David Miller is a software engineer and Survivor wannabe. Comments welcome at [email protected].

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Rhune
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Re: Episode 1 Recaps
« Reply #4 on: Sep 23^rd, 2002, 4:33pm »

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No Thai breakers
Life's a beach for the Survivor castaways in Thailand who prove that the show's 'Outwit, Outplay and Outlast' motto isn't outdated

By Tay Yek Keak

SURVIVOR: THAILAND
Channel 5
Fridays, 3 pm, 10 pm
****

HERE we go again.

Just when you think it is safe to be nice and cordial, back comes Survivor to teach us all about The Impotence Of Being Earnest.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST: This season's motley crew of survivors already look more engaging than seasons III and IV's participants.
Try to be too honest, over-eager, too pushy or worse, all three in this show, and you are guaranteed the next flight home.

Laying low, not pissing off teammates, making friends, playing them out, conniving, lying - these 'qualities' will get you far.

The trick, in other words, is to trick well.

Frankly, until a really tough spot such as Afghanistan or downtown Baghdad is chosen, you could care less about another show in the conveyor belt featuring whiny Americans abroad.

But Survivor is the mother of all reality shows, a soap opera with contestants in dire need of soap, and this fifth instalment, now in Thailand, with its eye-candy bunch - check out the guys - seems very promising.

Judging from its first episode, the show's motto of 'Outwit, Outplay and Outlast' is not yet outdated.

Sixteen people eating wild and living foul for 39 days to kick each other out to nail US$1 million still sounds like the perfect morality tale of our times.

The key attraction this time is a locale that is near us.

When series host Jeff Probst, a frequent flyer who loves vacationing in Borneo, the Aussie outback, Africa, and the Marquesas Islands, tries to scare us by describing the secluded island of Koh Tarutao off southern Thailand as a former pirates haven with 'exotic and deadly wildlife', you wonder what he would have spun if he had seen the Merlion on Sentosa.

What is grabbing in this season is the punks-vs-gramps battle set up between the two teams.

Via a new point-and-pick process by the two most Jurassic participants, the Sook Jai tribe (meaning 'Happy heart') ends up being a hunks-and-babes group full of beach party types, while most of the folks in Chuay Gahn ('To help one another') - pronounced like 'chewy gum' - are prime candidates for Eldershield.

'We've definitely got all the hot chicks,' said Robb the bartender from Sook Jai, a loudmouth with earrings and a skateboard.

He went on to pick a fight with the first-ever Asian in the series, Shii Ann Huang, an executive recruiter proclaiming herself the 'she-devil', by accusing her of shirking while he is busting his hands building a shelter.

The cast of castaways is, of course, everything in Survivor. The show could stage gladiator contests and people would still be watching chiefly for its players.

It hit perfection Down Under with Survivor II's den mother/winner Tina, hunky Colby, folksy Rodger, Elisabeth the sweetie and Jerri the super bitch.

The show could not get another mix like that even if it goes on to Survivor: XXX in Mars.

Over in Thailand, this batch comes close. Already, the plot looks more interesting than that in Survivor III or IV.

The cocky upstarts in Sook Jai - described as 'totally enthusiastic and ready to go but they know nothing' by Jake, the senior citizen who picked them - appear pumped up to steamroll over the 'little old ladies team'.

In an exciting contest on canoes, they came from behind to win the first immunity challenge.

Keep an eye out for the steady New York cop, Ken, in that bunch, who looks a good bet to go the distance on account of his post-Sept 11 authority.

The navy swim instructor, Helen, in Chuay Gahn, could be a contender, along with her used car salesman/porn actor teammate, Brian.

'It's all about love,' he explained, nicely positioned in a team that looks set to be pummelled into extinction.

There is even a pastor among the flock who, for some unholy reason, thought it hilarious to play a gag on his aching gang by pretending that there was no water.

Survivor may look deceptively simple, churning out the same thing over and over again, but it is truly ingenious. And, thanks to superb editing, it is truly gripping.

In case you are wondering how far the sense of righteousness goes with these people, here is an example.

'Those lucky bastards!' cried Ghandia, the legal secretary who lost the first competition for Chuay Gahn, as the pastor put a consoling arm around her.

Then she voted him out.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/life/story/0,1870,144767,00.html

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