Ways to make it more interesting
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The ClubHouse: Archives: ----GENERAL ARCHIVES----: General Archives - Jan-Feb: Ways to make it more interesting

Crazydog

Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 11:43 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I am really hoping that I will enjoy this Survivor much more than the last one. I found the people, scenery and overall challenges of Survivor Africa utterly boring.

For whatever reason it doesn't seem like there's a lot of buzz about Survivor 4 yet. But I am hoping it will be much better received. In the meantime, I would like to suggest some things to make it more interesting.

The challenges are very very very tired. How many times do we need to see people stand on a pole or hold on to a log or do some obstacle course or trivia contest. BORING BORING BORING. CBS is concerned about ratings and viewership. Here's what I propose as a sure fire way of attracting more viewers: MORE NUDITY. People want to see skin. There should be challenges involving putting your clothes at stake. In honor of the ancient South Pacific tradition of being naked, instead of a disgusting food challenge, make it a Wheel of Stripping. Each tribe member will have to spin the wheel which dictates how much they have to take off, anything from "shoes only" to "every last stitch". The tribe which has the most members willing to obey the wheel wins the challenge.

This time around, the tribes have to be completely self sufficient in terms of getting food and water. But what if they can't find any? Surely the producers wouldn't let them starve. Remember in SII when they traded items for rice? Well, I say, clothes for food!

And no one can go in the water with a suit.... everyone must go au naturel.

Just a few suggestions! Hey, they said that they wanted to return Survivor to the beautiful island setting. But it's not enough unless you continue to keep it interesting. With Friends at full steam approaching the Rachel baby and possibly the Joey/Rachel engagement, Survivor must prove that it is still worthy of water cooler talk!

Joan

Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 01:31 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
It is sad when nudity is all that is considered "interesting." Wouldn't it be easier just to order the Playboy channel?

Kizz

Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 02:42 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Why, you ARE a crazy dog!!!!

Aussiedeb

Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 07:32 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Did anyone watch Rosie today? Jeff Probst was on and said the first 8 mins is going to be good with someone making an entrance and hinted about nudity. Plus he said that this bunch had more wit and more friendly etc, but there is a Jerri like person in this one..

Knightpatti

Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 07:38 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I saw Jeff on Rosie. Did you notice those dimples? I thought it was interesting that he said everyone was miserable in Africa. He felt bad for the 16 in Africa that they had it rough. ANyway made me wish that today was THursday. Rosie is going to watch this one. I hope so because she will have the Survivors on her show.

Quietstorm4

Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 05:57 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I found this on the EZboard. It's another interview with Jeff Probst.

rose54321
Registered User
(2/26/02 9:57:33 am)
Reply Re: Jeff Probst interview
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Okay folks, here's the transcript of the Nashville interview with Jeff Probst yesterday. Would love to hear your impressions!

Q: Seeing the previews of S4 makes me want to watch the show, because, to be honest, S3 was a bit of a downer to me.
JP:To me too! I think it was probably the environment as much as anything, but... it wasn't fun, it just wasn't fun to be out there, it was tough. This (S4) is FUN! These guys are... they have a great sense of humor! Even though there are still gonna be alliances and backbiting and all that stuff, it's with a smile on their faces.

Q: They're going back to the beach, but it looks like anything but a vacation, because you're not giving them water or food or fire, which makes this show different from all the others.
JP:Yeah, everything they need is on the island or in the sea. The difference is, they have to get up every morning and get a strategy together and go work for it. And that forced these guys to come together as tribes, and that's why I think they had this great camraderie, they had to, they had to work together.

Q: What tools did you give them so they could get food?
JP:When they roll up onto the beach, they open a crate that has 2 empty water collectors, a cooking pot, a frying skillet, a filet knife, a machete and a magnifying glass, and that's it. And man, when they open it up and they're looking for the tin of rice, and they realize there isn't any, it's glorious!

Q: What kinds of foods are available to eat on the island?
JP: Everything... there's mangoes, coconuts, you know, you can climb up trees... there's sea life right off the shore, and then there are wild pigs they can hunt, there are roosters they can try to catch... you know, it's hard to catch those pigs! (laughs)

Q: I'm curious about what other changes we'll see from S3, because... another true confession from a real fan...I thought the challenges were too predictable, you always knew in each episode which challenge was gonna happen. Are you mixing things up a bit this time?
JP:You know, we mixed things up in one sense, but we didn't in another, and it's good to get that feedback. We tried some different challenges in terms of really small ones, just to see if maybe we'd gotten too big, and if maybe we could get something out of a small one, but-- for every person that says " Oh,another food challenge, you have a food challenge again", the other person says " Oh I'm so glad you have the food challenge again, it's become a staple", so-- we're never sure. If we listen to people, we wouldn't know which way to go, so we just sorta carve a path and hope it works.

Q: You had your own challenge with S3 on the final IC, when as reported last week you had to give $100,000 to Lex and Tom because something screwed up... what happened?
JP: WE screwed up! There was a question about body piercings, we thought the only correct answer was Kelly, turns out there's two correct answers, Kelly and Lindsey. Lex ended up getting it right, I told him he was wrong, the show is over at this point, and the rules are pretty clear in their contracts that... it's like football you know, if you make a bad call, that's the way it goes. But CBS and Les Moonves said, "So what do we do to make this right? Let's bump everybody up to a hundred grand." And you know Lex and Big Tom's attitudes were, "Well gosh, it would have been nice to have gotten that right, but we had a great time and that's the way it goes." So... we just screwed up.

Q: Talk about some of the fascinating people we're gonna meet in this first S4 episode... because I understand that there are racial tensions, religious tensions, and there is romance as well.
JP: Yeah, the three R's! There's romance early, in fact, by the 2nd episode, it's clear who one of the couples is. I mean, it's clear to everybody. And the race-- it's not racial tension, it's just bringing up the notion of race and how that manifests itself in perceptions, because--in this case it's white and black--and there's a couple of people on the island that are not afraid to say, "Listen, I don't want assumptions being made just because I'm this color or that color." It's the kind of thing we all think about in the back of our heads, but rarely say... and it gets said. And the religion is clear... we've got a 21-year-old Mormon from Salt Lake City, we've got at least 3 others who are very very heavily steeped in religious philosophy in terms of their moral makeup, and that becomes a big deal. When you have 4 people telling you that this is gonna affect how I vote, it plays a part.

Q: I understand you have better-looking people this time, maybe it's just the beach setting, but I hear it's gonna be more fun to watch.
JP:I think a lot of it's the beach setting, you know, we never got to see the Africa cast in their bathing suits. (huh? did he miss Kim P?) We had some cute girls out there, but yeah... we have definitely got an attractive cast and the guys are gonna be very happy, and so will the women!

Q: Tell us about Sarah, I hear she's the one to watch if your'e a guy.
JP: Well yeah, (big smiles) Sarah has quite a body, and Sarah makes one of the best Survivor entrances ever, and it happens about 8 minutes into the first episode. When they actually roll up onto the beach-- you'll know it when you see it, because it becomes an instant classic Survivor moment!

Q: Sounds like YOU had more fun on this Survivor than on previous ones, does it remind you of S1?
JP: Yep, it totally reminds me of the first one, not really because of the beach either, but because of the people... they're just-- there's a wit about them that--when they're voting people off,even-- it's funny, you know. When you've got one person over here that thinks "A", and this person over here that thinks "B", they're not afraid to tell each other they're nuts! And they have a funny way of doing it so... I loved seeing these guys!

Crazydog

Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 06:35 am EditMoveDeleteIP
BTW I was being halfway facetious about the nude challenges... I know they will never happen, after all this is CBS, but my point was they need to do something to keep Survivor from being a caricature of itself.

Thanks for posting this interview Storm! I disagree with Jeff's observation that 50% of viewers like seeing the same old tired familiar challenges - I'd say it's probably closer to 10%. The formula is growing a little stale and I thought they would have realized that with SIII.

So looks like Sarah makes a naked entrance... well I'm sure that will make the guys want to keep her around! And which one is the Mormon - if it's a woman won't she have the same problems that the really annoying blonde girl from The Real World (New Orleans?) did by living with men? (Or maybe that was just a Brigham Young U. rule)

I think it's great that there is an open "Survivor romance". I've always thought that this would make things interesting in terms of strategy and voting. On the current Real World/Road Rules Challenge there was a married couple (but on different teams) that always voted together as to who to send home and the team ended up sending one of them home because of the arrogant display of power.

Sounds like a good show in store. I'm glad they are forced to work with each other even if they don't like each other. DEfinitely will make things different.

Hippyt

Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 07:03 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Neleh is the Mormon,she's 21,snd she brought scriptures as her luxury item. Should be interesting. And,I think that was a Brigham Young thing on RW.Didn't they kick her out for living with men?
I think this show sounds a lot more fun than the last one.

Cablejockey

Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 07:51 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I hope this group practises making a fire before getting to the island. Nobody seems to be able to do it on past shows and there will no matches handed out. I am looking forward to the island setting after gritty sun baked Africa. CBS's survivor site already has its chat rooms open.

Moondance

Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 08:00 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
CJ... they are geting a magnifying glass in the crate waiting for them on the beach... it will be much easier to make fire.

Car54

Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 08:12 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Hippyt, Julie was not allowed back to BYU because she signed their honor code which was against living with a member of the opposite sex. It was her school, not the church.

Hippyt

Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 08:50 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Yes,that's what I said.