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Jkm
Member

07-10-2002

Monday, October 25, 2004 - 12:41 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2004/September/12/style/stories/02style.htm

September 12, 2004


Lex van den Berghe: The Skinny
EDITOR’S NOTE: Lex is back! After a busy season making appearances for several good causes and stoking the image of Santa Cruz around the world, Lex is back with his commentary on the upcoming season of "Survivor," which begins Thursday on CBS. His column will appear on these pages every other week.

Bush versus Kerry, the conflict in Iraq, public school closures, hurricanes, terrorism ... lately it seems that all idle chat revolves around such heavy subject matter. It’s almost enough to make you skip out on your coffee break and work straight through to the end of the day.

But fear not, because relief is less than a week away. This Thursday night, the granddaddy of all reality shows, "Survivor," begins its new season, and conversations around the ol’ office water cooler will be a lot more entertaining, though admittedly short on social or global relevance.

And like it or not, or whether you watch the show or not, there’s no denying that "Survivor" has officially hit phenom status. I’ll bet that even reality TV’s own cocky P.T. Barnum, Mark Burnett, is shocked at the longevity and success that his unstoppable franchise has enjoyed.

Did you know that there have been 130 "Survivor" castaways to date, and that this marks the ninth season of the show? Even more surprising are the viewership stats: Not only do 20 million Americans watch each week, but at least that many tune in globally as well. "Survivor" airs in markets on every continent except for Antarctica ... but I’ll bet Burnett is working on that.

And from the looks of it, this new season of "Survivor" will prove that Burnett’s magic goose is still laying golden eggs.

This time around the game will be played in an idyllic little island nation called Vanuatu, which, for the geographically impaired, is about 500 miles from Fiji.

Of what I know so far, Vanuatu is like a sweet little slice of paradise (with a cherry on top), and a more appropriate title for this season might’ve been "Survivor: Garden of Eden."

These are islands you might deliberately strand yourself on given the opportunity. Food is abundant and the weather is consistently pleasant (unlike the monsoons that pummeled us in Panama). There are no dangerous animals in Vanuatu, and no insect plagues on the beaches.

It seems that the biggest challenge these players will face on the island is finding those little umbrellas for their fancy cocktails.

But as we all know, despite the importance of the location, "Survivor" is really all about the characters that play the game. After all, the reason we tune in to reality TV shows is for the deliciously vacuous drama (tastes great, less filling!), not the playing field.

This season, for the first time ever in a regular season, 18 people will be playing the game, and from what I’ve seen, this may be one of the most interesting casts ever.

This group is also the youngest cast to date. The oldest male is only 40 years old and the average age across the board is 33. Of the 18 cast members, 14 are in their 20s and 30s.

As I looked through their bios online, what struck me immediately was everyone’s intensity. These cats are not just your typical type-A hardcore competitors, but they all seem to be pathological overachievers with skill-sets and resumes that would make your head spin. And all of these skills and qualities will ultimately prove to be the very blessing that take them all the way to the end, or the curse that has them voted out early.

The game of "Survivor Vanuatu" will begin just as "Survivor Amazon" did, boys against the girls. But as appealing as this might seem at first, I just don’t think it’ll last. Think about it. The sexes are a lot like gasoline and fire — much more interesting when mixed together.

With so many new players this time around, I thought I’d make an early pick of this season’s six standout characters and give you the rundown on each.

On the boys’ side
BRADY — This 33 year-old FBI agent from Southern California is an ex-marine with an impressive list of accomplishments. His chiseled good looks and no-nonsense approach could either propel or kill his game.

LEA — The elder male at 40, Lea is a drill sergeant from South Carolina and your classic All-American hero (he served both in Kuwait and Iraq). He holds a Masters degree in chemical engineering, and he’s a nuclear weapons specialist, an EMT and a master barber. (Where do they find these people?)

CHAD — This is our local boy, a 35-year-old teacher and family man from the San Francisco Bay Area. A recent cancer survivor, Chad had to have his right leg amputated below the knee just a year and a half ago. He completed a triathlon just nine months after his surgery.

And the girls
DOLLY — This 25 year-old sheep farmer from Pennsylvania, who’s a dead-ringer for Beverly Hillbilly Ellie Mae, recently took over her grandfather’s 90-acre farm after his death. Don’t let her sweet looks and demure demeanor fool you ... she’s a card-carrying NRA member, and avid hunter and self-described Jesus freak.

JULIE — "Survivor’s" first ever Native American, Julie is a 23-year-old youth mentor from Maine who spent time working with the Peace Corps.

SCOUT — Definitely one of this season’s more colorful characters, Scout is a 59-year-old Bohemian lesbian rancher from Oklahoma whose career highlights include CEO of a consulting company, university professor, author of 11 books and singer/songwriter. Having survived melanoma cancer, she seems to exude a live-for-today, suck-the-marrow-out-of-life attitude.

So there you have it ... the long wait is over. Set up your TIVOs or VCRs and block off the next dozen or so Thursdays ... it’s "Survivor" season, and it looks like this is gonna be one killer ride. Let the games begin!


Contact Lex van den Berghe at lex@santacruzsentinel.com.



Jkm
Member

07-10-2002

Monday, October 25, 2004 - 12:43 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Lex van den Berghe: The Skinny
Oddballs are out in first episode of ‘Survivor’
Thursday night’s premiere of "Survivor Vanuatu" hit the ground running and hopefully set the tone for what will be an exciting and engaging season of classic "Survivor."
The episode kicked off with Mark Burnett’s signature over-the-top high drama. Perched precariously on the edge of a huge magma-spewing volcano, Jeff Probst introduced us to Vanuatu, primitive islands in the South Pacific with a long history of cannibalism. And in a fitting nod to traditions past, the new cast will be playing a game where eating your own isn’t the exception, but the rule.

Opening sequences treated our senses to spectacular shots of the exotic new location, and colors looked so vivid and saturated, I nearly pulled out the remote to adjust the color settings on my TV.

One of the drawbacks of episode one is that there never seems to be enough time to get to know all the characters, and we have 18 this time around. Truth be told, I don’t even have a handle on their names yet. But despite that hurdle, there was plenty to keep us entertained this week.

Every season the producers dream up new ways of "marooning" the players and signaling the start of the game. Our pals in Vanuatu probably expected a run-of-the-mill stranding when they pulled up to their island in a nice sailboat. But instead of the traditional walk-the-plank treatment, they were greeted by the Vanuatu equivalent of a neighborhood welcome wagon.

Dressed in traditional primitive garb and armed to the teeth with long pokey spears, hundreds of indigenous locals in outrigger canoes sounded the battle cry and stormed the sailboat. The expressions on the faces of the 18 castaways were priceless — all looked shell-shocked, and I think a few of them may even have peed their pants.

And I could swear I saw a few of the locals smirking at the pale-faced scaredy-cats from behind their war paint. The big tribal welcome was followed by a rite of passage hosted by the Vanuatu tribe chief himself. He started by drawing tribal lines for the "Survivors." Before they’d even had five minutes to get acquainted, the chief had separated them into two tribes of nine — boys versus girls.

And the good chief could not be bothered with such trivialities as political correctness, especially when it came to the battle of the sexes. No way. Vanuatu is a man’s world.

The women were casually dismissed to a holding area over to the side where they could sit on the ground, while the men were escorted to center stage and treated to a bowl of Kava, a traditional local drink with narcotic properties.

As the gents tossed back their Vanuatu cocktails and laughed about how their lips and tongues were numb, the ladies just glared and fumed.

Only 10 minutes into the episode, I could already see what was bound to happen. The women were getting so torn up over the obvious snub, that it seemed a done-deal they were going to kick the boys’ asses in the first challenge.

At the end of the opening ritual (which lasted into the night), a torrential downpour erupted onto the castaways (did I hear Burnett in the background shout "Cue the rain clouds ... start storm"?), and Probst announced the official "Game on."

Each tribe was given marching orders to walk in opposite directions along the beach to search for their respective camps and get to the business of building their new societies.

The drama from here out was definitely reminiscent of the Amazon season, where tribes were also divided along gender lines. Cliques formed immediately and conflict kicked right in. It seems to defy logic, but I really think that folks get along better when you mix the sexes.

The highlight at girl camp (tribe Yasur) was the instant division between the young and old. One classic scene showed the young girls bathing in a lagoon and giving each other sand scrub spa treatments while the older women swung machetes and built a shelter.

Over in the boys camp (tribe Lopevi), our local boy Chad decided to unveil his prosthetic leg to his tribe mates. It was the last thing any of them expected to see as he unzipped his pant leg, and nobody seemed able to effectively hide what was really on their mind. As some of the guys exclaimed "Wow, you are so inspirational" you could see the little cartoon thought bubbles pop above their heads, "Wow, you are so intimidating."

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and sure enough girl power prevailed in this week’s combination reward/immunity challenge, where the women whooped the boys into submission. The girls not only avoided a trip to tribal council, but won the invaluable flint reward, which meant fire and drinkable water (and an obvious early edge in the game) was all theirs.

As the men folk scrambled to strategize and make sense of what they should doat their first tribal council, it became clear that they, too, were split along age lines. And while the inexperienced young greenhorns concocted a shortsighted plan to eliminate Chris, the player who’d cost them the challenge, the older guys, led by tribal elder Sarge, planned for the long term and decided that the young’uns should go, one by one.

Now I don’t know about you guys, but this week’s tribal council was a shocker to me. I had no clue that Brook was on the block at all, and when Probst announced that he was the first castaway voted off the island, I could only scratch my head and wonder why.

It was like reading a book, only to find that when you finally get to the end, the last page has been torn out. Obviously, Sarge’s plan to get rid of younger players must’ve had something to do with it, but this week’s episode didn’t give us so much as a hint that Brook was on the outs. Hell, we never even got to know him. Brook who?

I can only speculate that his ejection followed a pattern that’s been unwavering in its consistency every season of "Survivor." The first person voted out each season always seems to be the oddball. When you’ve only had two days and change to get to know your fellow castaways, the person sent packing will always be the one who doesn’t quite fit in with the group.

So, how about some early game predictions? One interesting thing about early season tribal councils is that you can get pretty accurate information about alliances and who the power brokers are in the tribe. Bottom line: if the vote you cast in the first tribal council wasn’t for the player who got the boot, then your game is already in trouble.

The three odd-men-out who voted for someone other than Brook were the two Johns and Brady. And most surprising of all was FBI agent Brady’s vote for Rory, the S8 Housing Case Manager from Des Moines.

Brady was the only player to cast a vote for Rory, and that single vote is going to make golden boy Brady stick out like a sore thumb, making him the current oddball. He’d better do some damage control or his torch will be the next to suffer Probst’s snuffer.

My early pick for a favorite is a no-brainer at this point. I have to give props to local boy Chad from Oakland. He seems to get along well with everyone, and his vote was in line with the current power brokers. And you just can’t deny that given his extraordinary recovery from cancer and the loss of a leg along with an amazing attitude, this guy has the spirit of a real champion.

And so begins another few months of permanently booked Thursday nights and plenty of innocuous water cooler chat.

Oh and a just quick heads up ... I’ll be AWOL for the next few weeks, but don’t worry. ‘Round this time next month I’ll be back in the paper with some great stories to tell. Trust me.


Contact Lex van den Berghe at lex@santacruzsentinel.com.



Jkm
Member

07-10-2002

Monday, October 25, 2004 - 12:46 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
October 24, 2004


Lex van den Berghe: The Skinny
‘Survivor: Vanuatu’ is half over, but the game is just starting
I’m baaaack!
A month has passed, and I’ve clocked more than a few thousand miles on my frequent flyer plan. And what a month it’s been. The standout highlight was definitely my trip to the South Pacific islands of Vanuatu, host country to this season’s "Survivor."

And so I watched this week’s episode with an extra measure of nostalgic melancholy, already missing these extraordinary islands just days after returning home.

I was relieved to see the action and drama in Vanuatu finally heating up. After all, with nearly half the season already over, it was high time for the show to hit its stride. If you ask me, "Survivor: Vanuatu" so far had barely sputtered to a start, and I blame gender-based tribal division in part for the show’s lackluster entertainment value thus far.

But now that boys versus girls has become boys meet girls, mouths are flapping, drama’s brewing and the game is officially ON.

Aside from the final couple of episodes, when drama hits a fevered pitch and storylines get set to crescendo, I enjoy this part of the "Survivor" season more than any other.

Nearly three weeks into the game (real-time) the players begin to succumb to starvation, fatigue and paranoia, and as conditions get more extreme, the veneer of propriety peels away, and they start dropping their game faces.

This is when we really start getting to know the characters, and can begin to flesh out their motivations, strategies and personalities. We’re down to just 11 players now and can finally get a sense of who’s who.

This is also about the time that we get a glimpse at who the real power-brokers might be and what everyone’s place is in the game. As I see it, there are power-players and there are pawns, and the beautiful thing about "Survivor" is that both have a pretty even shot at going all the way.

Let’s run down the list of players still standing, and I’ll make my call on who I think is really driving the game and who is being played by the game.

On the Lopevi tribe
LEA (A.K.A. SARGE): Lopevi’s gruff self-proclaimed and self-assured figurehead, Sarge is true to form (he’s a real-life drill sergeant) and has no problem barking orders to his tribe mates. As the obvious leader, his head is always on the block, but his spot seems secure for now, as he’s cemented his place in one of the games most solid alliances (with Chad and Chris). My only regret is that with the recent tribe switch he lost his Gomer Pyle (Rory), and we may not get to hear a rousing chorus of "Move it, move it, move it!" Sarge is a POWER-PLAYER with a target on his back.

CHRIS: The low-profile member of Lopevi’s power trio, Chris seems to follow Sarge’s lead whenever he comes to a fork in the road. He’s eager to please, unfailingly loyal, and does as he’s told, which makes him a very valuable PAWN.

CHAD: We haven’t seen much of our local boy Chad in action yet, but something tells me there’s a lot we’re not seeing. On those few occasions that Chad’s been featured, he’s seemed comfortable voicing his opinion without hesitation. There’s something deliberate and purposeful about his game play, and I doubt this guy’s a waffler. Chad’s been consistently strong in all challenges without appearing as a threat, and for him this could prove essential. I mean c’mon....you’d have to be crazy not to see the obvious threat in the positive-minded, cancer-survivor/amputee who can do it all. This is definitely NOT the guy you want sitting next to you in the final two.

He’s made a very shrewd move in locking a spot in Lopevi’s power trio ... it could be his ticket to the end. Since we haven’t seen hard evidence yet that Chad’s playing a hard-core game, but we have seen hints, I’ll call him the WILD CARD.

JOHN: Poor John, never had much of a chance to realize his potential in this game. When his early alliance of young’uns were wiped out one by one, he became virtually emasculated. He now continues to survive thanks to immunity challenge victories, but unless he can cook up one hell of a Hail Mary pass, he’ll soon exit this game a PAWN.

TWILA: This homespun highway repair girl from Missouri takes no crap from no one and always speaks her mind, for better or worse. Her unapologetic abrasiveness rubs some folks the wrong way, but her no-nonsense style has gotten her "in" with Sarge, resulting in a valuable invitation to join Lopevi’s all-male power trio. She’s now secured a stake in both Lopevi and Yasur alliances, making her a POWER PLAYER.

JULIE: Julie has worked this game without climbing into the driver’s seat. And although she’s been careful to avoid the alpha role, she’s never let the game play her. When she found herself switched to a new tribe with only one of her Yasur girlfriends, she did anything but lie down and die. Well OK, she did lie down — naked — and turned the tribal male majority to her possible advantage by playing on their carnal instincts. This makes her a POWER PAWN.

On the Yasur tribe
AMI: Yasur’s undisputed Alpha-Grrrl, Ami is playing a hard-core, balls-to-the-wall power game. There’s nothing subtle or sneaky in her attack — it’s full-frontal and in-your-face. She does what she wants, when she wants to, and you’d better hop on board or get out of her way, making Ami this game’s ultimate POWER PLAYER.

SCOUT: Like Chad, Scout’s another player that I suspect is moving and shaking a lot more than we’re seeing. Perhaps her approach is a bit understated, but I’m pretty sure she’s got a veritable bag of tricks up her sleeve. She seems to be in nearly everyone’s good graces, and commands respect with both young and old. If she makes the merge, I think this WILD CARD will go very far.

ELIZA: There’s not a lot of grace or style in Eliza’s playing style or personality, but you’ve got to admit this one’s a pistol. Unashamed and unapologetic about spouting off, it’s a wonder she’s still in the game. But crafty maneuvering and a knack for last minute scrambling has kept this endangered POWER PLAYER in the game.

LEANN: Poor Leann seems to be in a pickle just like John. Since the very start, she’s been the odd-girl-out, and doesn’t seem to have made any strong relationships in the game (a deadly sin for sure). She’s going to have to find someone to hook her wagon to, and soon. Leann does seem to be a firecracker, but as long as she keeps the fire at bay, she’ll be a PAWN.

RORY: Like it or not, Rory knows that in the Yasur tribe, he’s nothing more than a puppet with a limited shelf life. His stock did go up slightly this week, as he seemed to be in the loop with the voting majority at tribal council. The girls could’ve left him in the dark about who was getting the boot, but instead they let him in on the deal. And Rory knows the value of inclusion, even if he’s being played — better to be a PAWN in this game than all alone.

When so many challenges lately have seemed like thinly veiled clones recycled from seasons past, both the reward and immunity challenges this week were fresh and top shelf.

The reward challenge had each tribe chasing crazed pint-sized pigs in muddy sties. The first tribe to capture 10 pigs won steak and eggs. The action was pure hilarity as both piglets and players mud-wrestled and squealed like lunatics. Eliza was the only player to catch no pigs, giving up early because she didn’t want to get dirty, and Lopevi slayed Yasur, 10 pigs to five.

The immunity challenge was an elaborate and gnarly water obstacle relay course that tested players’ speed, stamina and swimming skills. Leann, who was Yasur’s third player to swim the course, got stuck in the underwater portion and ended up losing the challenge for her team.

Tribal council this week was particularly delicious and exposed just how much power and sway Ami has over her tribe. In a strange last-minute twist, an unintentional slip of the tongue from Lisa shortly before tribal council ended up costing her the whole game.

As Ami was leaving camp to go find manioc for their next meal, Lisa chimed in "Can I go with you, just in case ..." At which point Ami assumed Lisa was going to finish, "just in case you’re voted out" (since I don’t know where the manioc grows).

Ami’s vengeance (or damage control) was swift and extreme. Lisa was gone hours later. What seemed to be nothing more than a grudge boot, did reveal the extent of Ami’s control over the tribe’s voting decisions. In no time flat, Ami had managed to convince nearly all the women of Yasur (Scout excluded) to vote against one of their own based on her suspicion that Lisa was not a 100 percent loyal.

No doubt about it ... in Vanuatu, game is definitely ON.


Contact Lex van den Berghe at lex@santacruzsentinel.com.