First Episode Preview
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First Episode Preview
Discoinferno | Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 06:51 am     NY POST/By ADAM BUCKMAN ----------------------------------- BARELY a minute goes by in tomorrow night's opening episode of the new "Survivor" before a castaway is seen vomiting into a bucket. Later, another castaway - the 45-year-old owner of a Massachusetts bowling alley - disgusts his fellow tribe members by describing how yoga helped him to better appreciate the system by which his body processes and eliminates solid and liquid waste. Sound familiar? We've seen the vomiting and heard the scatalogical conversations before. The question is: Will we stick around to see and hear them again as the fourth edition of "Survivor" gets underway tomorrow night at 8 on Ch. 2? A preview tape provided by CBS of most of Episode One (minus the final immunity challenge and tribal-council vote) reveals that "Survivor: Marquesas" - taking place on the Marquesan island of Nuku Hiva - starts out pretty much like the rest of them. The castaways are first seen below decks in a boat on rough seas (hence the vomiting) and then they're shown jumping overboard with crates of supplies into rubber rafts. Before long, they're crawling wearily onto a tropical beach. This time, the producers are trying to up the ante with a new gimmick: None of those crates contain any food - not even a supply of rice - so the castaways will have to feed themselves. It's not long, however, before you realize that their island is an abundant paradise brimming with fruit, coconuts and chickens (if they can catch them). It remains to be seen just how challenging the quest for food will become in such an environment. As usual, the castaways tend to get up-close-and-personal pretty fast on "Survivor" (hence the yoga discussion) and the situation is no different this time around, with various flirtations, alliances and animosities already forming in under an hour. Viewers will form their own opinions about many of the castaways showcased in Episode 1, but, as always, first impressions on this show can be deceiving - including the impression that "Survivor" itself is beginning to seem old hat. My advice on "Survivor: Marquesas" is to wait and see. And while you're doing that, enjoy the pictures. There are worse things you can do than watch a TV show situated on a beautiful island in the South Pacific. |
Twiggyish | Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 09:09 am     Thanks Disco! Did anyone there seem particularly annoying? This might be a clue to the first one booted. |
Discoinferno | Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 09:40 am     This article screams for a Peter is first boot! |
Tksoard | Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 09:59 am     I thought that too, Disco. But maybe that is a little trick from Mark. I'm going to be a sucker anyway, and vote Peter off. You might want to kick me off your SDP team after a couple weeks if I don't shape up.  |
Twiggyish | Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 10:07 am     I see it as an EMB red herring. (Evil MB trick) |
Discoinferno | Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 02:34 pm     TK, I'm voting Peter too!! |
Car54 | Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 03:07 pm     CBS bets 'Survivor' can still light some fires Preview: In returning to a tropical island, producer goes for the burn. By David Zurawik Sun Television Critic Originally published February 27, 2002 CBS is spinning overtime these days trying to convince anyone who will listen that Survivor isn't in decline. But facts speak louder than words, and the fact that they are going back to the original South Pacific island castaway formula after less-than-sensational trips to Australia and Africa indicates that CBS thinks the series has gone off-course. There also are the facts from A.C. Nielsen that clearly told CBS there wasn't enough happening in Survivor last fall to persuade viewers to abandon NBC's Friends. And, so, what we get tomorrow night mostly is a repeat of the original Survivor. A few miles off-shore from the island of Nuku Hiva, a neighbor of Tahiti, 16 Americans are sent overboard with two life rafts and supplies. The main difference: Unlike the original group, this cast of 16 gets no food or fire from producer Mark Burnett. Ooooooh, scary, hey? Not really. It turns out that withholding food and fire isn't such a big deal. Both tribes, the Rotu (Rain) and Maraamu (Wind) do just fine. Both are fed and warm by their second day, without seeming all that concerned about it the first night. In fact, in true Survivor fashion, two young bodies were mainly preoccupied with seeking each other out after their first day on the beach. For those who care, it doesn't appear they had sex - not yet, anyway. But if Burnett really wants to shake up the formula and truly challenge some of these I'm-too-"hot"-for-my-clothes contestants, he should deny them the possibility of sex - not food, fire or water. Just a thought. For the record, Burnett says the extra challenges made for "a meritocracy ... with them pulling together to build a new society." He made those remarks in a telephone press conference this week to promote the show. I wish he'd give this "new society" hooey a rest, and speak the truth: He upped the ante, hoping to get them at each others' throats faster. They do start trashing each other quickly tomorrow night. The Maraamu tribe hasn't even reached land yet, and Sean, a 30-year-old teacher from Harlem, is complaining about Sarah, a 24-year-old accounts manager, not pulling her weight with a paddle. He compares her to Cleopatra, and that's the nice part of what he has to say. A new society? I think not. What we have is a show desperately trying to relocate its own fire. |
Resortgirl | Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 03:12 pm     I'm so excited for this to start! I just love looking at beautiful tropical islands in the dead of winter! Add a little bickering, poopy talk and a bucket of popcorn and life doesn't get any better then that!  |
Car54 | Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 03:14 pm     Survivor: Marquesas' Goes Hunting and Gathering Wed, Feb 27, 2002 12:26 PM PDT by Vanessa Sibbald Zap2it, TV News LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - "Survivor" returns with a new season Thursday (Feb. 28) and like the first edition of the reality-based series, the show revisits an island locale. However, this time around the cast of "Survivor: Marquesas" won't be getting rice or other provisions to help them get acclimated. "We were able to remove giving them any rice or things like that. We always wanted to do that, it's just the other lands we used didn't really support that ability," says "Survivor's" executive producer Mark Burnett. "The previous three locations, there was always something stopping them for accessing enough food, so we have to give them [rice and water]." Marquesas, the setting for the newest "Survivor," is an island in Nuka Hiva, an archipelago located in the South Pacific. Aside from the shellfish and fish in the ocean, contestants were able to find a variety of foods on the island, such as coconuts, fruit and taro -- a popular Asian root vegetable. Despite the variety of foods available, the cast still had to work hard to bring in enough to keep them healthy, something Burnett says the group was motivated to do. "Believe me you open a box, you have no food and you've been paddling for hours -- you get pretty motivated," he says. "And if you're motivated you look for it and find it, it is there. We didn't put anything there, or put them in an area where it was easy to find. It just takes work." In addition, Burnett made it clear to the cast that they would not be getting food from the crew. "They soon figured it out, because they'd be starving otherwise and we weren't going to compromise because we told them going in, 'Don't come asking for food because you know what, it's there. Just get up in the morning and go look for it.'" Like the first "Survivor," where Richard Hatch was able to prolong his stay in Borneo because of his fishing abilities, having the players hunt for food can change the way the game is played. "The big change was the fact that they have to forage to eat anything, therefore it becomes more of a meritocracy," Burnett says. Since he had always planned on having the players forage for their own food, Burnett doesn't consider the food situation a real change in the game -- but that doesn’t mean that "Marquesas," won't be different from previous versions of the show. "There are some small, subtle, but meaningful evolutions to the game, which I think improve it," he says without revealing any details. "Everything needs to move forward." One of the changes is obvious -- a whole new cast of 16 castaways. While there are still debates on whether the new "Survivor" cast is sexier than previous ones, Burnett says that's not the point. "It's much deeper than that. It's like in 'Survivor: The Australian Outback' -- when you look back on [it] you don't remember Jerri just because she's beautiful. You remember Jerri because of the character, or who she is," he says. "Basically, all of them you remember because of their characters and you quickly forget about the fact that they happen to be good looking. No one is ever cast on the show just for the looks, because that would never carry 13 weeks of TV." As for who walked away with "Survivor's" $1 million grand prize, Burnett isn't saying. What he will say is that he might be the last person to ask since he hasn't had any luck predicting who would win any of the previous games. "I've been personally surprised every time and, quite frankly, I realize how bad I am at predicting. I have not predicted one, even the final two I have not predicted. It's funny actually -- I should never go to Las Vegas." |
Micknrc | Thursday, February 28, 2002 - 05:25 am     Hmmm...Peter helps them make the fire w/ yoga???? And, jump back! You go, Miss Vee! USA Today |
Twiggyish | Thursday, February 28, 2002 - 06:35 am     Jerri was beautiful? j/k I get his point. I love reading these MB interviews. He seems to enjoy talking about the idea of creating mini societies. Great articles! |
Grooch | Thursday, February 28, 2002 - 07:14 am     Next Survivor place, people easy to look at By Tom Jicha TV/Radio Writer Posted February 28 2002 Survivor: Marquesas is an eyeful. From its enchanting South Pacific setting to the hard bodies and pretty faces sprinkled throughout the two tribes, the fourth edition of TV's most successful reality drama looks better than marvelous. CBS is subtitling this edition Back to the Beach, an indication the network appreciates the unmatchable Robinson Crusoe/Blue Lagoon allure of a lush, deserted beachfront. The Australian Outback and African plain have their appeals. Under the right circumstances, they could make for an exotic getaway. But who dreams of being abandoned in either place? By the time one of the Marquesas tribes discovers that its water supply comes from a breathtakingly beautiful waterfall, the island of Nuku Hiva will be your new fantasy vacation spot. In addition to wanderlust, Nuku Hiva, which is near Tahiti, provides for more interesting reward and immunity challenges. The inaccessibility of water was one of the shortfalls of Survivor: Africa, the least compelling of the three editions. Indeed, the opening-night immunity challenge of Marquesas involves a competition in the sea. While enjoying the eye candy, keep in mind you can't always believe what you see on Survivor. Producer Mark Burnett chooses roles for each of the players like a casting director. Then he selects footage to fortify this persona. Thus, attempting to pick a winner from what is on the screen is like judging who the genuinely good people in Hollywood are based on their movie roles. Lex was often depicted as a foul-tempered bully in Survivor: Africa. In an interview filmed away from the campsite, he vowed to cut the heart out of the person who cast a banishment vote against him. However, this isn't the Lex the other contestants saw, several said at a post-Survivor: Africa party in January. Lex was one of the more popular players among his colleagues, who weren't privy to his one-on-one sessions with the cameras. Each Survivor has featured a female portrayed as flirtatious. However, according to someone who was there, a woman in one of the editions had flings with almost every male in the vicinity, cast and crew. But this wasn't the role Burnett had chosen for her, so the audience was never given a hint. Meanwhile, another female player was saddled with an exaggerated temptress image. Perhaps the most misleading characterization came in the first Survivor. Loyal fans were shocked when the jury of banished peers chose Richard over Kelly in the final vote. From the opening scenes, Burnett had depicted Richard as a bad guy, which wasn't a stretch. However, what the audience didn't know was that Kelly was even more disliked. They didn't know because Burnett never offered a clue, although Susan cut loose in the finale with her on-air tirade urging the jury to let the snake, Richard, eat the rat, Kelly. With the caveat that Burnett manipulates what the audience sees, there do not, at first glance, appear to be any snakes or rats in Survivor: Marquesas. The Rotu and Maraamu tribes -- Tahitian for wind and rain -- come off as extremely compatible and friendly bunches. This is not to say there isn't some backbiting. Sean, a teacher from New York, knocks Sarah, an account manager from California, for not pulling her load as the Maraamus struggle to row their canoe to shore. Sean remarks that the voluptuous Sarah wanted to arrive on the island "like Cleopatra, with her boobs hanging out and her goldilocks in the air." Sarah's dimensions also bring out some cattiness in Vecepia, an office manager from Oregon. "Sarah's got a very cute body," Vee snipes. "She paid a lot for it." The most likeable of the Maraamus is another wise-cracker, Rob, a perpetually smiling construction worker from Massachusetts. When one of his tribe mates, Peter, a bowling alley owner also from Massachusetts, regales the group with his obsession for the seven holes in a human body and their various functions, Rob quips, "He's a fruit loop.'" Rob has another snarky remark for Sean's ostentatious displays of his Christian faith. The audience is likely to love Rob, but his casual attitude riles tribe mate Hunter, an uptight former Fed-Ex pilot. Hunter, who also was a fighter pilot in the Navy, immediately assumes the mantle of group leader and the aura of a potential winner, thanks to his knowledge of the outdoors and his rugged good looks. Gina, a nature guide from Gainesville, is instantly smitten. Rob calls him "MacGyver." Over on the Rotu side of the island, Kathy, a real estate agent from Vermont, annoys some teammates by carping on the urgency of getting a fire going. That she's right doesn't matter to them until they spend a night in the dark. Kathy might be one of the early casualties, since she feels compelled to constantly assert that she's not an assertive person. The new wrinkle in this Survivor is that the contestants are stranded without provisions. They must forage for all their food and water, but it shouldn't be much of a chore. The island is teeming with grapefruits, coconuts and various edible potatolike tubers. The inlet also has an abundance of fish and shellfish, and fresh water is easy to find. Rob even discovers some wild fowl. If Survivor is ever going to regain its status as America's No.1 watercooler show, Marquesas is the version to do it. |
Rissa | Thursday, February 28, 2002 - 08:13 am     http://www.canoe.ca/JamSurvivor4/feb27_preview-can.html Above is yet another article until half-way down when it starts spilling spoilers, not just for episode one. Only time will tell if any of these are accurate though. |
Twiggyish | Thursday, February 28, 2002 - 09:59 am     I bet Gina jumps Hunter's bones. Pure speculation here. Thanks Rissa, I'm heading over to that canoe site now. |
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