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Jeff Probst Article - George of the J...

The TVClubHouse: Survivor VIII - Vanuatu: Survivor VIII - Vanuatu: General Discussions: Jeff Probst Article - George of the Jungle users admin

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Essence
Member

01-12-2002

Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 6:39 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
George of the jungle

Bush would kick John Kerry's butt if they were on Survivor, host Jeff Probst says

By BILL BRIOUX
Toronto Sun
The race for president of the United States may be down to the wire, but Jeff Probst has no doubt who would win on Survivor -- George Bush.

"(Senator John) Kerry would probably do better at staying under the radar," Probst told the Sun yesterday. "He's brilliant but boring. Bush has that redneck charm down, and, on our show, that might well win it for him."

Just the same, Probst intends to vote for Kerry. "I just think Bush would do better on our show," he says.

Survivor: Vanuatu (tomorrow night at 8 p.m. on Global and CBS) remains huge in Canada, drawing 3 million viewers a week and finishing first or second overall here since the series returned last month. It's still a hit stateside, topping The Apprentice this season to retain the crown of TV's top reality show.

"Our audience is loyal," says Probst. "You don't see a huge shift in our numbers, regardless of what we're up against."

Probst points out that Survivor was one of the few shows that did not strike out last week against the Red Sox/Yankee coverage, trouncing NBC's Friends followup Joey all season.

He says he's "tickled to death" to be beating executive producer Mark Burnett's other big reality show, The Apprentice. "There's a bit of a rivalry," he admits.

Busy Burnett is not as hands-on with Survivor anymore, but that was always the plan, says Probst. "He's never been a micro manager. He's a big picture guy right now and he trusts us to get the details done."

Burnett told the Sun last January that he'd like to play Survivor 11 -- which would take place next fall -- in Canada. "We've talked about the terrain and the different places you could go in Canada," says Probst. "It's definitely something that's been on the table, especially just in the last year."

The stumbling block is getting off the beach. Fans have come to expect a tropical setting, he says.

Still, there are plenty of remote shorelines in Canada where bikini-clad contestants could romp next July. Probst feels audiences would be willing to "give us a season to try something new."

Like Canadian contestants? Don't hold your breath. Probst says the producers and CBS have talked about doing an international edition. "The problem is, do Americans care enough to watch players from Russia or China or Canada? I don't know."

What Probst doesn't want to see is another All-Star edition. "I don't think the game works once you've played it," he says.

For one thing, you make too many enemies. Probst says several bitter castaways not named to the All-Star 18 were spilling the beans on the Internet last season. "If they could find a way to spoil the season they were going to do it," he says. "For me it was a bit of a disappointment. Survivor's been good to a lot of people and a lot of people have been good to Survivor. I thought we had a bit of a partnership."

Security on Survivor: Vanuatu has been much tighter. Probst says that while there is no Richard, Rudy or Rupert stealing the spotlight this season (Bubba with his shrunken Bob Barker T-shirt came closest), the men vs. women play has kept viewers keen.

Last week, as the newly-formed Yasur tribe stumbled, there was a break in the rock solid "Girl Power" alliance. Probst says that will continue to be put to the test. "It never ceases to amaze me how difficult it is to hold on to your original alliances. There's always somebody on the bottom of the alliance and, once they realize who they are, they suddenly have an incentive to look somewhere else."

He says this season's final tribal council is the best they've ever had, "good, solid drama that delivers. For the first time in three years, I didn't say one word at final tribal council."


Who do you think would win on 'Survivor' -- George Bush or John Kerry?
George Bush
John Kerry
Neither
Who cares

http://www.canoe.ca/JamSurvivor9/oct27_survivor-sun.html

Cndeariso
Member

06-28-2004

Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 11:08 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
great article.

bubba almost another rupert? not in my lifetime.

Konamouse
Member

07-16-2001

Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 2:56 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Sarge appears more of the breakout persona than Bubba ever was....if only Twila was a little more "lovable". I thought Chad would breakout as a crowd favorite, but he's not getting much camera time.
Thanks for the article - 'bout time they headed away from the beach and challenged these guys with a different climate. Burnett likes to go where he has been before (with EcoChallenge). However, if he played the game, you think he might be the first voted out?
'squeek'

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 7:31 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Yeah, sorry... but I don't think Bubba was even CLOSE to being a Rich or a Rudy or a Rupert!! In fact, I didn't think he had much going for him at all. And didn't he spend a lot of time just whining... missing his family, missing food? Yeow!

I'd kinda like to see folks NOT trotting around in bikinis all the time. What's wrong with wearing a bit o' clothes now and again? I think they'd be more "challenged" in a colder clime, too, Kona.


Jasper
Member

09-14-2000

Monday, November 01, 2004 - 10:43 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
My only comment to Jeff would be why wouldn't Americans care to watch, I know 3 million Canadians would.

Sia
Member

03-11-2002

Tuesday, November 02, 2004 - 8:54 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
I agree, Jasper. I think we Americans would watch any show in the "Survivor" format regardless of the nationality of the survivors who were cast. Heck, I'd watch it with people who spoke another language as long as the show was subtitled. I would love to see that! Wouldn't it be cool to see an entirely Asian cast and find out if the same sort of backbiting, alliance-building and alliance-betraying went on? I would love to watch a show like that. It's just human nature to be curious about human behavior.

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Thursday, November 11, 2004 - 10:12 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
The show could be filmed in Canadian, with American subtitles.

Jan
Member

08-01-2000

Thursday, November 11, 2004 - 11:31 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
LOL Eeyore :-):-):-)