Rhune
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New 'Survivor': Betrayal! Deception! Cash prizes!
« on: Sep 14th, 2002, 2:42am » |
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New 'Survivor': Betrayal! Deception! Cash prizes! By DAVE MASON September 13, 2002 This time, it's about winning. The participants in last season's "Survivor: Marquesas" focused on having fun, but the contestants in the new "Survivor: Thailand" took the game seriously. That's the word from host Jeff Probst. The fifth "Survivor" series will premiere at 8 p.m. Thursday (Sept. 1 on CBS. Earlier versions have beaten longtime, popular shows such as "ER" in the ratings, but I personally am put off by this "reality" show that has players deceiving each other to win $1 million. Still, that soap opera aspect draws many viewers. Deception and betrayal - it's how you win the game and the tribes in Thailand knew that, Probst said during a phone interview. "Everyone was your best friend, so you couldn't trust anybody," he said. "It was harder to form alliances and true friendships. The people were more aware that this is a game. "There is one person I think will be compared to Richard Hatch," Probst said, referring to the devious first winner of "Survivor." He wouldn't say the contestant's name. "There's definitely a couple people playing the game in a dark way," he said. "I think the key to 'Survivor' is adaptability. You have to be adaptable," Probst said. "Sometimes the key is to lose the immunity challenges." That's one of the things Hatch did to win the first game. "It's not about integrity; it's about the game," Probst said. "When I need to, I'll stab you in the back." In Thailand, he said, "they played a lot smarter. I didn't see them making some of the same mistakes." It's important to eliminate emotions, he said. I told Probst "Survivor" seems a lot like poker, but he reminded me of a difference: "When you're playing poker, you're playing with friends." Contestants no longer are playing so much to become celebrities, Probst said. Players in previous "Survivor" games have used their sudden TV fame to get movie and TV roles. Today, just the "Survivor" experience is enough, he said. "There's something about the adventure. Where else will someone pay for a $21 million adventure for you?" The new episodes were taped in June and July in an island off of Thailand, but the contestants are contractually bound not to reveal the winner (or who gets voted off the island and when) before the last episode. Probst declined to give away specific details about the immunity challenges. The 16 players are Jake Billingsley, land broker, 61, from McKinney, Texas; Erin Collins, real estate agent, 26, from Austin; Stephanie Dill, professional firefighter and EMT, 29, from Fayetteville, Ark.; Jan Gentry, first-grade teacher, 53, from Tampa, Fla.; Helen Glover, Navy swim teacher, 47, from Middletown, R.I.; Brian Heidik, used car salesman, 34, from Quartz Hill; Jen Hildebrand, dental student, 25, from Dallas; Shii Ann Huang, executive recruiter, 28, from New York City; Ghandia Johnson, legal secretary, 33, from Denver; Clay Jordan, restaurant owner, 46, from Monroe, La.; Penny Ramsey, pharmaceutical saleswoman, 27, from Plano, Texas; John Raymond, pastor, 40, from Slidell, La.; Ted Rogers Jr., software development manager, 37, from Durham, N.C.; Ken Stafford, New York City police officer, 30, from Brooklyn; Tanya Vance, social worker, 27, from Gray, Tenn.; and Robb Zbacnik, bartender, 23, from Scottsdale, Ariz. http://myinky.com/ecp/entertainment/article/0,1626,ECP_738_1415156,00.ht ml
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