MzzJoplin
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Thaid no more ...
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Interview with MB ...
« on: Dec 26th, 2002, 7:47pm » |
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CHAT TRANSCRIPT
Survivor Host: There are lots of great questions, so lets get to as many as we can! If you're just joining us, we're chatting live with SURVIVOR Executive Producer Mark Burnett. Mr. Burnett, welcome and thanks for spending some time to chat with us today. Are you ready for some questions?
Mark Burnett: Yes!
realwife: First things first: so who wins Thailand?
Mark Burnett: Once again, there are two winners: CBS and Mark Burnett!
vucrusader: Thank you for being here today, Mr. Burnett. I was wondering if you had a favorite season out of the six that have been filmed so far.
Mark Burnett: Probably my favorite season is the one I just concluded shooting in the Amazon. The way the Amazon begins is something that will have the public talking about for a long time. I think the Amazon will spark many debates, and once you see it, you will see why it will spark so many debates.
Jeff_Probst_Is_Sexy: Who puts together the ideas for the Challenges?
Mark Burnett: We have an entire department of Challenge production. The same people have been working in the department for SURVIVOR, and then we have a pitch meeting to me and we pick some and get rid of some, and then after that we involve Jeff Probst and our producing team. Between all of us, we come up with a pretty good democratic decision of what the new Challenges should be.
croc420: Have you or Jeff Probst ever competed in any of the Challenges created for the show?
Mark Burnett: Yeah, in the early seasons we used to test the Challenges. We didn't compete against each other, but we tested the Challenges, and it was fun. Then we just got busier and busier, and have good people whose job it is to test Challenges. We call them the Dream Team.
LurkerJo: How come Jeff seems like he is in such a bad mood this season?
Mark Burnett: Jeff wasn't in a bad mood at all. He just felt the need to play his other role, which is, I guess, the referee role.
mjs1: Mr. Burnett, who is your all-time favorite Survivor, and why?
Mark Burnett: You know, I think I have a favorite one from each season. Not as a person, but just as the character they were on the show. I think Sue Hawk was a great character on SURVIVOR: PULAU TIGA, Jerri from SURVIVOR: THE AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK, Big Tom from SURVIVOR AFRICA, Boston Rob from SURVIVOR: MARQUESAS and Helen from SURVIVOR: THAILAND.
mousetrap: Is there anyone you regret choosing for the show?
Mark Burnett: No, I think in hindsight you cannot change characters, and any character being removed from the mix may have hurt the overall drama.
newrules: Mark, Have you ever thought about more than 16 people on the two tribes?
Mark Burnett: Yes, I have thought about it, and we may actually do that some time.
SURVIVOR_Nut: Have you thought about having 3 tribes?
Mark Burnett: I actually thought about having three tribes and four tribes.
adnaps1: What do you think about people online who try to spoil the show's outcome?
Mark Burnett: I think it's fun! Actually, they help keep the secret better, because so many of these spoilers have different opinions about who wins and what's happening, so it's more confusing. It's a benefit.
lisahabc: Were you satisfied with the way the "pick your own tribe" worked out? Will we see it again in the future?
Mark Burnett: I loved pick your own tribe. I especially loved the fact that everybody made the assumption it was men against women, followed by it being a complete twist. Iin fact, they picked their own tribe, which led to great drama when the older, weaker team proved stronger in the first Challenge.
iwillsurvive: When will you have a girl tribe vs. a guy tribe?
Mark Burnett: Maybe one day we'll consider doing that. It just creates all kinds of problems, like whether or not we can find Challenges to keep it fair.
mjs1: Mr. Burnett, I am a true fan of this show. I've never missed an episode. However, I find that I wasn't as entertained by this recent cast of characters, and I have to say it's because there was no one that I really wanted to see win. Will your casting strategies change after this SURVIVOR, or will you continue to cast the same characters over and over?
Mark Burnett: I don't think we've ever cast the same characters. America is made up of all kinds of people, and keeping each cast diverse and unique is what's important.
Honest_Ang: Hey, Mark! Will there ever be a cold-climate edition of SURVIVOR?
Mark Burnett: I'm researching environments like that right now, but I'm not sure that the public wants to see a cold-climate SURVIVOR.
cafunston: What do you look for in a location?
Mark Burnett: I look for a location that is iconic. For example, Thailand, Africa and the Australian Outback are instantly recognizable. On the other hand, Borneo and the Marquesas, while being less recognizable, have a magical sound to their name.
Trxxiego: Okay, Mark, confess. How much do you like to play with the audience in your editing?
Mark Burnett: I like it very much!
Carter: After you have picked your cast, do you ever try to predict who will win? Are you surprised by the outcomes?
Mark Burnett: I never try to predict who will win, and I'm ALWAYS surprised by the outcome. Ever since on Season 1, when I was certain that Richard Hatch would be voted off first.
CJblakeSC: Why did you choose to delay the merge this time around?
Mark Burnett: Because it was a lesson to the Survivors that assumption is a mistake, and it worked perfectly. Shii Ann bought that hook, line and sinker.
Jeff_Probst_Is_Sexy: What is the biggest misconception people have about SURVIVOR?
Mark Burnett: I don't know that there are any anymore. I mean, we just finished filming our sixth season, and the old misconception that they weren't really suffering has certainly disappeared.
holymoly: why don't the Survivors spend more time looking for food, instead of just sitting there starving?
Mark Burnett: In Thailand they found enough food to sustain them in the ocean, and had to make that food supply last for 39 days. There's also a balance to be achieved between the amount of effort to find food and the weight loss caused by the effort versus spending enough time resting.
Antithesys: How would you rate the experience of filming SURVIVOR: AMAZON against the previous seasons?
Mark Burnett: It was my best experience ever, which comes as the result of a very experienced production crew and a great cast.
ferretface: Hey Mark, do you think any of the contestants on SURVIVOR will ever make it to the couch on the Letterman show?
Mark Burnett: Well, some already have; the winners do. The winners and Elisabeth Filarski. So, they've either got to win or be really cute!
Honest_Ang: Mark, did there ever come a time when you just prayed someone would be voted off?
Mark Burnett: Oh, never! I don't allow myself to become emotionally involved in the game.
leahsmom: Mark, with so much of the show's elements having been done over and over (i.e. nasty food Challenge, merges, etc.), how will you keep it fresh in the future?
Mark Burnett: I think every season we've managed to keep it really fresh with new Challenges and twists, and that's my job: to make sure that there is something new and exciting in every season. I think you saw that this year with the non-merge.
Houston_WMN: Whose idea was it to have the family members do the gross food Challenge? That was pretty wild!
Mark Burnett: Yeah, it was a totally unique twist, and unbelievable how committed the loved ones were to have eaten the worst stuff we've ever asked anybody to eat! I honestly think it was a collaboration of ideas. I don't remember exactly whose idea it was.
croc420: If Jeff Probst was bitten by an alligator and couldn't make a Tribal Council, would you step in and fill his spot?
Mark Burnett: We've often talked about that and I probably would have to. Let's just hope it never comes to that.
SURVIVOR_Nut: How do you feel about all of the controversy between Brian and CC right as your show is winding up?
Mark Burnett: You know, there's the life on the show and there's personal lives, and in a strange way any controversy creates more viewers. It's sad but true.
leahsmom: Mark, here's a toughie: do you believe Ted or Ghandia?
Mark Burnett: I believe there are always three sides to every story.
ceedub: Mark, what is the scariest moment of all of the shows?
Mark Burnett: Creatively, day one, SURVIVOR: PULAU TIGA and emotionally, probably Michael falling in the fire.
holymoly: Besides the guy who burned his hand, have any other Suvivors needed medical care while they were on the show?
Mark Burnett: Many of them. I mean, there's always little things that happen: everything from very bad bug bites to lacerations to extremely bad diarrhea. You name it, it happens.
LurkerJo: Are you going to put out any more DVDs of SURVIVOR seasons?
Mark Burnett: I'm not sure. We haven't done that since, I guess, AUSTRALIA, and we've thought about it lately.
seawater: Hello Mark. How many years did you have the idea for a SURVIVOR show, and what inspired the idea?
Mark Burnett: My friend Charlie Parsons had the original idea, and my first time of working on developing this was in the Fall of '95.
mark_rocks: I think it would be interesting to see an all-woman SURVIVOR or an all man SURVIVOR. What are your thoughts?
Mark Burnett: I don't really like the idea of that. I think that the whole point of SURVIVOR is to see people fairly representative of the diversity of America.
CrazyAce: My friends and I all agree that we would LOVE to see footage from "loser lodge." Have you ever considered doing a "behind the scenes" SURVIVOR documentary?
Mark Burnett: Yes, it has been considered and discussed and I think it's a good idea.
Trxxiego: Mark, what is the most interesting luxury item someone asked to bring?
Mark Burnett: A sex toy. It was a large, accurate copy of the male anatomy and it was bright purple. And I said NO.
andthentherewasone: In which location did the crew most fear for their lives?
Mark Burnett: Africa.
croc420: What would you bring as your luxury item if you were to compete on the show?
Mark Burnett: An air mattress, but they probably wouldn't let me bring it.
holymoly: Mark, have you ever eaten some of the stuff you make them eat?
Mark Burnett: Often, as does Jeff...as do my kids.
zina10: Are you surprised at who made the Final Four?
Mark Burnett: If you consider how weak Chuay Gahn was perceived to be, then it's extremely surprising that the final four are all Chuay Gahn.
BlindFreddy: What are your greatest challenges in producing a SURVIVOR series besides the weather?
Mark Burnett: Taking a few hundred American production staff to a remote, hostile environment and trying to make good television at breakneck speed.
BigSurvivorFan: Did any of Survivors get fed up and just want to quit?
Mark Burnett: So far, in the first five seasons, no one except for BB has considered quitting.
bobbo: What quality did Jeff possess that made you say "he's the host"?
Mark Burnett: I felt Jeff had a great persona and great comedic timing. Jeff desperately loves the social psychology and told me he couldn't think of a better job.
Houston_WMN: Mark, would you ever pose for Playgirl?
Mark Burnett: Yes.
keely: Didn't Robb break any rules when he choked Clay during one of the Challenges? I would have thought he'd be disqualified for violence against another player.
Mark Burnett: Maybe Jeff thought Clay deserved it!
Jeff_Probst_Is_Sexy: What do you have to say to those people who think SURVIVOR is fixed/rigged?
Mark Burnett: I think they'd have to be crazy if at this point, with us being under such a microscope every week that they could even consider that possibility.
KayVay: I noticed that there has been a different "type" of winner on each show. Is this just a coincidence?
Mark Burnett: No, I always try to measure their heights so we have a diversity of winners.
Tubbo: Mark, what do you think are the harder Challenges, physical or mental?
Mark Burnett: I think they're both equally hard, because trying to keep your brain straight when you're so tired and playing a constant game is difficult. The physical games are also hard because you don't have enough calories.
cafunston: Mark, What things do you look for in a SURVIVOR contestant and in their audition tapes?
Mark Burnett: I look for an "A" type personality, that they are a leader, that they could survivor thirty-nine days outdoors and that they want to win.
Cleopatra: Mark, what about a Celebrity SURVIVOR?
Mark Burnett: We totally want to do it and intend to do it. It's just a matter of production schedules.
randi: Mark, on this season the Survivors seem to be eating more and receiving more food rewards than before. Why did you decide to give them more food?
Mark Burnett: In Thailand, up until the merge they'd been given absolutely nothing. After the merge, I consider it less necessary to have them starving and therefore wanted better rewards to create better drama.
happy: Can you tell us anything about tomorrow's finale? Please?
Mark Burnett: Yeah, Ted wins! Actually, what I will say is that Jeff Probst is hosting, and you can expect him to not avoid delving into any of the drama, such as the Ted and Ghandia situation, or how the Final Two became the Final Two or how someone like Jed seemed to have it all but got voted out very quickly, or someone like Robb who completely grew as a person.
SURVIVOR Host: Well everyone, our time is up. Mr. Burnett, thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us today. Any final comments for the Survivor fans?
Mark Burnett: I hope you enjoy Thursday night's sneak preview of SURVIVOR: AMAZON!
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