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Topic: Survivor shuts out Canadians (Read 555 times)

Rhune
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Survivor shuts out Canadians
« on: Jan 31^st, 2003, 8:42am »

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Survivor shuts out Canadians
TV auditions for Americans held at Casino Windsor
Friday, January 31, 2003
Craig Pearson Star Staff Reporter, Windsor Star
windsor
Canada's most popular show is coming to Canada -- but Canadians aren't welcome.

Detroit-area auditions for Survivor VII, the next instalment of the hit reality adventure show, take place today at Casino Windsor's Promenade Ballroom from 4 to 8 p.m. The first 200 applicants will be interviewed live, though any eligible candidate can drop off a brief, home-made application video.

The catch: you must be 21, American and living in the United States.

So why are Survivor auditions being held in Windsor, perhaps the first time the show has held a casting call outside the U.S.?

"Casino Windsor is a sponsor of Survivor," said Matt Malyn, spokesman for CBS Detroit, which like all network affiliates, decides where to hold auditions. "They sponsor the show and are very interested in being connected to the show. They came to us and said we would very much like to host these tryouts."

Last year's Detroit auditions were held at the MGM Grand Casino and since CBS Detroit rotates the venue, as long as it has enough capacity, Malyn said his station considered Casino Windsor a good bet.

Canada has had a love-in with Survivor ever since it turned up via 24-hour-a-day cameras on Malaysia's Pulau Tiga in 2000, pitting cut-throat and largely buffed-up contestants against each other in search of $1 million and instant celebrity.

The last two Survivors, in Thailand and Tahiti's Marquesas islands, averaged 3.4-million-plus viewers, more than 10 per cent of Canada's 31-million-strong population. That's easily double the draw for a typical Hockey Night in Canada. And it's a higher percentage of fans than in the U.S., which averages about 21 million viewers for Survivor.

"It is extremely popular," said Christine Amendola, spokeswoman for Global Television, which airs the show in this country.

"It still hasn't lost its appeal. And it remains fairly consistent. It's still the most watched regularly scheduled show in Canada."

Amendola predicts the show's popularity will continue with Survivor VI: The Amazon, which is again hosted by Jeff Probst and for the first time splits the 16 players into two tribes based on gender. The season premiers with a 1 1/2-hour special Feb. 13 on the Global Television Network, 8 p.m. (in Ontario).

Though Survivor's popularity in Canada makes money for CBS and the show's producer Mark Burnett, Canadians are nevertheless barred from outwitting, outplaying and outlasting on their favourite program.

"It's because of the legality issues," said Colleen Sullivan, director of CBS publicity in Los Angeles. "Mark Burnett owns the rights to make an American show. It becomes a big legal headache to try to incorporate international contestants."

The show's British creator Charlie Parsons, Sullivan said, still owns the rights for a similar program to be made elsewhere in the world.

Kel Gleason, the U.S. Army intelligence officer who grew up in Fredericton, was allowed to participate in Survivor 2: The Australian Outback because he has dual citizenship.

"Mark doesn't even understand fully what the reasons are; all he knows is it's for legal reasons," Sullivan said.

Š Copyright 2003 Windsor Star

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MzWings
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Re: Survivor shuts out Canadians
« Reply #1 on: Jan 31^st, 2003, 9:01am »