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Car54

Tuesday, September 17, 2002 - 04:03 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Here is a link to today's web chat with
Jeff Probst at SF:

Jeff's Chat

Car54

Tuesday, September 17, 2002 - 04:04 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
From Canada.com:

Tension so high among Survivor: Thailand cast, fight almost broke out: Probst

Canadian Press

Tuesday, September 17, 2002

(CP Archive/HO)
Survivor: Thailand starts Thursday and host Jeff Probst, shown here in this handout photo, says the show contains plenty of tension. (CP Archive/HO)

NEW YORK (AP) - There was a lot of tension among contestants within the fifth cast of Survivor - to the point where there was nearly a fight, says host Jeff Probst.

The CBS show begins its new season from Thailand on Thursday night. The cast's volatility took producers aback, Probst said Monday. That will become particularly visible during the show's third episode. "There's a part of you that's excited because it's new," he said. "Then there's a part of you that says, 'I hope this is Survivor and not American Gladiators."

Probst said some contestants of Survivor: Thailand were particularly combative with him. "I enjoyed that," he said, "because I enjoy people who are playing for real."

Survivor has remained a strong ratings performer for CBS, even competing with NBC's powerhouse comedy Friends. Producers are already meeting to set ground rules for the sixth cast. Probst says he's not sure how long the show will last.

"The public will judge that," he said. "When it's over, we'll know. People will tell us, and we'll go away."

-

Car54

Tuesday, September 17, 2002 - 04:08 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
From Zap2It.com

Feisty 'Survivor' Contestants Surprise Crew
Tue, Sep 17, 2002 10:19 AM PDT



LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - The people who produce "Survivor" have seen back-stabbing, fire mishaps, flirting and lots and lots of manipulation in the four previous editions of CBS' reality flagship.

But they were taken somewhat by surprise during the filming of "Survivor: Thailand" when contestants nearly came to blows.

Host Jeff Probst isn't saying which players came close to fisticuffs, but he says the tension truly becomes evident in the third episode.

"There's a part of you that's excited because it's new," Probst tells the AP. "Then there's a part of you that says, 'I hope this is " Survivor" and not " American Gladiators." '"

The globetrotting host says the "Thailand" players also didn't hesitate to give him a little lip. Probst says he enjoyed it because it showed the contestants were "playing for real."

"Survivor: Thailand" premieres at 8 p.m. ET Thursday (Sept. 19) on CBS.

Car54

Tuesday, September 17, 2002 - 04:11 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Transcript of Jeff's CBS Chat from SurvivorNews.net

Jeff Probst held a live chat on CBS.COM Sept. 17, 2002 at 2PM EST. Below is a transcript.
BY SurvivorNews.net
Tuesday, September 17, 2002

Is Thailand going to be a lot different than the other settings survivor was taped in?
JP: It's different in a couple of ways. One difference is that this island has caves. It used to be a prison then the prisoners rebelled and became pirates and took advantage of unsuspecting tourists and they would steal their money and hide the money deep in these caves and these caves still exists and have bats in them. So, it's got a scary component and it's a great cover from the rain.

What makes Thailand a difficult challenge for the contestants?
JP: The other fifteen people. This is a really combative group and from a weather point of view it's hot like Africa but it's also really humid and it zaps your energy quickly so these guys were really tired three days into the show. In addition, it's the monsoon season so at night they often got a heavy downpour of rain which made it uncomfortable to go to bed because they were wet only to wake up in the morning and start all over again.

Which survivor location do you think has been the hardest for the contestants?
JP: Africa, no question. They were living in huts made out of elephant poop, it's 100 to 115 degrees everyday and they had absolutely no water for relief.

How would you compare this cast to previous ones?
JP: This is the most combative cast we've had and they were very physical and in fact, in the 3rd episode, all 3 days on the island, at the challenges and at TC it's very physical and tense. They were combative with me as well which made for a very fun game.

Who picks the location of Survivor?
JP: The locations are picked by a group of people. We all have input but how it works is we send a location team out to scout the location and based on the ability to put our base camp on this island which has to house 400 people, and the ability to find two good camps for our tribes and knowing that we can get our gear in and on and off the island we then attempt to make a deal with the government of that country. So it's a very involved process to find a location.

Is there ever going to be a cold snowy location?
JP: We pick locations right now that are tropical because we've found that's what works best. We want the relief of water, we don't mind a bit of skin and bathing suits and for the audience i think it's a bit more fun than going to a cold environment because imagine Colby or Elisabeth dressed up in parkas! It wouldn't be as much fun! The other problem with a cold environment is that it's harder to survive because your body shuts down. I don't think it would be very entertaining either.

How many applications do they receive for Survivor? I thought mine was good, maybe too good that is why I didn't make it. They probably thought I was psycho biting the head off a snake in my video (it was a rubber snake) but the fake blood was a nice touch. Maybe I'll make #7!
JP: We get about 50,000 videos for each season and rather than responding to your tape I'll give everybody advice on what we look for. You're looking for relatability, meaning, if you're a young mother of two, you probably don't want to portray yourself as a stripper. If you're a young, 23 year old college female, you want to be active, athletic, adventuresome. In addition, you have to have a point of view. We look at you and say what would you give us on our show? Which character will you be? So biting the head off a snake might be funny but what does that say about you as a person? So, the next time you do a video all we're looking for is WHO YOU ARE. There is no right or wrong answer in applying for Survivor but it's important that we know you are who you say you are and that's when people make the mistake in their videotapes -- by trying to be too clever when they should just be clear. Now, go work on tapes for number 7!

How much latitude do the producers have on creating rules on the fly? i.e. When in Africa you all of a sudden had people changing tribes.
JP: Zero. Nothing is done on the fly. Everything is charted out in advance. We knew we were going to switch tribes. We knew what day and within a couple of hours we knew what time. There is a lawyer from CBS on site at all time whose job it is to make sure that the game is fair.

Jeff, what's your favorite Thai dish?
JP: I'm big on noodles. Noodles and spicy sauce. I've had enough Thai food to last me for a while though. I'm sticking to Mexican for the time being.

Do you ever eat what the survivors eat?
JP: I always try every food challenge before we do it. I ate the grubs in season 1, I ate worms in season 2, I drank cow's blood in season 3 (which was warm and salty by the way) and I even tried that nasty fish called Fafaru.

Jeff, you rock and so does Survivor. My question: Were you ever attracted to anyone on any of the Survivor shows?
JP: *laughs* Someone just asked me this question at lunch. Yes, I have been attracted to a couple of Survivors whose names I won't mention and I think that's natural when you remember that I've met now 80 Survivors which means I've met 40 women and lots of them are pretty. And I'm single...*laughs*... the odds are good that one of them will be attracted to me or me to them. And while I'm not attracted to Colby I have become very good friends with him which is a nice benefit of this job.

Who was the sexy brunette you were seen with at the Primetime Emmys this past weekend?
JP: *laughs* Wow! That is my girlfriend and she is verrry sexy. She's an artist who lives in California and I think I had the sexiest date there that night.

Do you get lonely being away from home for so long during the year?
JP: Traveling for Survivor is a good news, bad news scenario. You're away from home for a long time, you miss your girlfriend, you miss your friends and at time you get very homesick. ON the other hand, I got to spend two months in Africa waking up with giraffes, elephants, zebras not 200 feet away from me. That's a trade off I'm willing to make at this point in my life.

Did you stay in Thailand the whole time, or do you leave from time to time?
JP: I had one day where I was able to leave for several hours and I took a boat to a small village called Hat Yai where I had the only decent meal... *laughs*... I stopped in at a Sizzler. Can you believe they had a sizzler in the middle of nowhere in Thailand? The best chicken sandwich I ever had and then it was back to the beach.

What are your living arrangements while away? Tent? Or do you get better accommodations?
JP: For the most part we all live in tents. We build a place we call "Tent City" that houses 400 of us. We put in showers, which are nothing to write home about, we put in toilets, we build an area to eat, we create an area for our marine dept. which transports everyone by boat to challenges, we have a place for our helicopter, we build a building for our medical staff, we build a production office, we build a challenge office and we build an internet cafe so the crew can stay in touch with their family! So you can imagine how massive this production is!

Hey Jeff, did you have a good time in Thailand, I have always dreamt of visiting it, the scenery looks beautiful!
JP: I had a lot of fun in Thailand and you're right, it is beautiful. In fact, during the afternoon, when I had a couple of hours free I used it to learn to surf. Some of the best surfing in the world is there and the people are absolutely delightful.

What kind of wildlife can we expect to see in Thailand? Are there monkeys?
JP: There are monkeys, there are Monitor lizards, there are snakes. Two snakes in particular.. the world's longest snake, the Reticulated Python and the King Cobra. I had a run in with the King Cobra but I think the high humidity had gotten to him because when he went to strike I think he fell asleep and walked on by.

Jeff is it true it will be boys versus girls?
JP: No. How's that for an answer? That's part of the fun that we like to have with the audience and we know the audience likes to have fun with us by guessing so with only two days left I can tell you it's not boys against girls and I wonder if you can guess what it might be...

Jeff, What was your favorite Survivor show to date? I just love watching you with the survivors, you're a great host.
JP: Thank you for the compliment. My favorite seasons are the first one and the second one. The first one because it was the first and there will never be anything like that again. The second because it all came together: an amazing cast, fires, floods, a pig killing, a guy falling in the fire, they run out of rice as a tribe and have to trade me their entire camp to get more and the incredible finish where Colby takes Tina instead of the sure thing, Keith. I don't know if it can get any better than that.

Which Survivor was the biggest jerk?
JP: I have to limit it to one?? That's an unfair question to answer because the conditions are so tough that many times people aren't putting their best selves forward. But there have definitely been some people on the show that if I never see them again it won't bother me. You can probably figure out who they are.

I was wondering how many cameraman you have filming a challenge--on the average?
JP: On average we have between ten and fifteen. That includes cameramen that are getting tight close up shots and that includes cameramen who are half a mile away on a rock with a really long lens and that includes our cameramen up in the helicopter getting those great aerial shots. The key to covering a challenge is not how many cameras you have but what you do with them.

About how many hours of tape do you film a day? 24-7?
JP: Yes, our cameras never turn off which is why we have 300 hours of tape for every hour that's on the air. Our cameramen and producers are with them when they go to bed and when they wake up and all day in between.

Hi Jeff, what are your day to day responsibilities during the show when you are not actively on camera?
JP: I'm part of the team that decides on how a challenge should work, that decides what we want to accomplish at tribal council. All of those decisions on the show I've been lucky enough to always be a part of. So, for me the show is always going, you're always working. Being on camera is just one element of it but the preparation is much more significant. That's where all the decisions are made. Once the cameras get there, you're flying by the seat of your pants.

Have you ever secretly rooted for a Survivor?
JP: I think in the first season, to be totally honest, I probably was rooting for people in the beginning but within the first few days I realized two things: one, my rooting wasn't going to help or hurt anyone so why bother? and two, we had a great show no matter who won. So, now I don't root for anybody and I tell them that at the beginning. I don't care who wins, I just want it to be fair.

Jeff, if there ever going to be an All-Star Survivor?
JP: I think there probably will be. We've talked about it quite a bit. The scary part is the survivors themselves have talked about it even more. There are already secret alliances on the internet so we have to find another way to play the game otherwise Richard Hatch doesn't stand a chance.

Would you ever tried out for Survivor if you had the chance?
JP: I would LOVE to be on Survivor. I couldn't win Survivor. My ego and my big mouth sooner or later would get me in trouble. It takes incredible discipline to succeed at this game. You really have to know when to bite your tongue or ask Kenny Rogers says "No when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em".

Have you ever been injured on this or past survivors?
JP: On season one i was stung in the nether regions by a jellyfish. That hurt. On season two I peed accidentally on an electric fence -- that really hurt. On season three in Africa I was stung on the Achilles heel by a scorpion - THAT killed! In Marquesas, while diving on an off day with Mark I got nitrogen narcosis and tempted my fate by getting too close to a shark. We wound up very far from our dive boat an were very lucky to we didn't run into trouble. And in Thailand as I mentioned earlier, I had a run in with a King Cobra. Fortunately he was too lethargic to do anything but sleep.

I heard that the first survivor cast made fun of you when you said, "the tribe has spoken," have you been mocked every season?
JP: No, only the first season and only the first few TC's and I knew it was funny but I also knew that we were creating something original and the only way for it to work was to commit to it and stick with it and hope that the audience would understand by the end of the show that I was in on the joke.

Have you ever sneak any items to survivors?
JP: On a daily basis I pick out the really cute girls and try to toss them an extra Snickers or diet Pepsi and then I invite them bak to my tent to chat. WHAT ARE YOU CRAZY?! do I think I'd risk the best job on TV by doing anything like that?! I love it when they're starving. It makes me laugh. I'm sick that way. You've heard of Dr. Evil? Welcome to Dr. Jeff! *laughs*

Why do you wear the same shirt and shorts on every show?
JP: *laughs* I'm laughing because it's funny - you're right. The truth is, those shirts only come in khaki and blue so this season we actually dyed some a different color because I (like you) was sick of the light blue. But just to be sentimental I did wear a light blue shirt on the first episode as a goodbye.

How has being the host of Survivor changed your life?
JP: From a career point of view, I now have a career which affords you other opportunities in your profession. So much of this profession is based on your past success so you need success before you can get the opportunity to have any more success. On a personal level, it's hanged me dramatically. It would be hard to explain over the computer but I'm a very different person in how I look at life and what's important. I now realize that ultimately all that really matters in my life is who I love and how I love them. I know that may sound a little corny but that's what spending five seasons on an island will do to you.

Has there ever been any sex on the show that you know of?
JP: I don't think so. Maybe Greg and Colleen. Maybe Jenna and Gervase. I've heard that rumor a lot. That Greg and Colleen were a decoy but I don't know how they would have hidden from our cameras so if I had to bet I would say no one has had sex.. on the show. After the show's over? Well, that's a whole different story.

Hi Jeff, do you get to hang out with the tribe members once they have been voted off? where do the survivors go after they are booted?
JP: They're taken to a secret location and I usually go over at some point and check in to see how they're doing, to say hi but that's it. They're out of the game but the game is still going and that's where my attention is focused. The time for making friends can only come after the show is over.

Hey Jeff, your sense of humor is what makes Survivor interesting. Do the cast members get to see a lighter side of you?
JP: Definitely , we joke around a lot. I realize that this is an amazing experience for them and I want them to have as much fun as possible. Having said that I'll tell you what I tell them before we begin the show: this is going to be and adventure of high highs and low lows and when you're down, that'll be me with my foot on your chest and when you're up, I'll be the first one to high five you but nothing in between.

Anyone ever try and bribe you?
JP: *laughs* No, but I did have a fun wager with Ethan in Africa. We were getting ready for a challenge and I picked up a rock and said "I'll bet you 500 African dollars that I can hit a tree (which was about 60' away)" He still had money left over from the auction and said "Okay". I launched a rock and split it right down the middle! At the next challenge, Ethan brought me my shillings. that was a fun and funny moment.

If you were to get hurt/sick during filming.. who would step in for you and fulfill your duties?
JP: Great question! This just came up in Thailand because we lost so many crew members to mosquito borne illnesses. Mark said we would stop the show and wait for me to get better but that was Mark trying to make me feel important. You and I both know he's itching to get his hands on that snuffer. So, I imagine that Mark Burnett would step in himself and finish the show.

Is it becoming more difficult to keep the outcome of the show a secret. How do the producers intent to keep it hush hush as the show gets more popular and attempts to discover details become more common?
JP: Keeping the secret is our biggest challenge once the show is over. Ultimately, there is no way to absolutely insure the secrecy. It comes down to trust. Many of our crew members know what went on and certainly the 16 survivors know what went on. We try to make them realize that we are all part of this together and that any of us talking will only spoil it for everyone else. We've been very lucky so far. I hope our luck continues.

If you were a contestant, what would be your luxury item?
JP: Good question, let me think...I would probably bring a book if they would let me called "The Hero with A Thousand Faces" by Joseph Campbell because secretly that book would help me with my strategy. I might even try gluing a different cover to the outside of the book to see if I could get away with it.

Do the survivors see or smell the food that the cameramen etc eat?
JP: No, our base camp is a long way from their camp but sometimes just for fun I'll leave a little bit of chocolate on my upper lip when I show up for a challenge.

What was the luxury item you thought was the funniest?
JP: Gabe's teddy bear. I mean, come on, Gabe! I love you but what were you thinking?!

Are there rules for the luxury items? Why wouldn't someone just take a Swiss army knife?
JP: Your luxury item cannot be survival related. The idea behind a luxury item is something that has value to you emotionally. A picture of your child, an American flag might have value for someone, a favorite good luck locket, that kind of thing. So, they submit a list of five items and we tell them which one they can bring.

Have you kept in contact with any of the past survivors?
JP: I'm very good friends with Colby. In fact I just appeared on the Carolina Rhea show and they surprised me with a visit from Colby. I also stayed in touch with Ethan and Gina and Lex.

What was the funniest mishap that ever happened in any challenge?
JP: Another good question... there have been lots of funny moments. The first one that comes to mind is the challenge in Africa when the huge boulders rolled over the survivors. And what makes that particularly enjoyable for me is that when we planned the challenge that's exactly what we hoped would happen.

Jeff... the new season starts Thursday... what can we expect to see on Thursday's show?
JP: A very fun and new way to begin the show, a little bit of nudity, an exciting first challenge and the most ornate and beautiful TC we've ever had. We built our TC based on the Thai temples and there is incense burning and shiny gold things hanging and their torches are made of gold so it was funny to see smelly, gross survivors walking into what looked to be a palace.

Well everyone, our time with Jeff is up. Jeff, thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us today. Any final comments for the Survivor fans?
JP: GREAT questions today! You really made me think of how much fun this show is and just knowing that when we are producing the show we are always thinking of you guys (the audience). We always want to keep it exciting without ever betraying the show that we know you've come to expect.

Awareinva

Tuesday, September 17, 2002 - 05:47 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Well, Ms Car.... you seem to be in full spoiler mode now! Thanks for the great info!!!

Juju2bigdog

Tuesday, September 17, 2002 - 09:38 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
That was great!

Tess

Tuesday, September 17, 2002 - 10:02 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Great find, Car! Thanks so much. :)

Wilsonatmd

Wednesday, September 18, 2002 - 05:48 am EditMoveDeleteIP
http://tv.zap2it.com/news/tvnewsdaily.html?28075

Interview with Mark Burnett...who says the tribes are NOT, repeat, NOT, split on gender lines..

Rissa

Wednesday, September 18, 2002 - 06:49 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Cdn. Survivors?
Another article w/ Burnett talking about allowing Cdn players and a bit about the almost-fight that's been mentioned before.

Lyn

Wednesday, September 18, 2002 - 09:34 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Online TV Guide article

Sex and Fisticuffs on Survivor: Thailand!
http://www.tvguide.com/newsgossip/insider/020918b.asp

Hippyt

Thursday, September 19, 2002 - 01:17 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
'Survivor' returns tonight
By MIKE McDANIEL
Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle
First of all, forget those promos suggesting that the cast of Survivor: Thailand will split into gender tribes.


Executive producer Mark Burnett would not reveal

how the tribes would be split when Survivor returns tonight (7 p.m., CBS/Channel 11). But his acknowledgment that they will be split is an admission in itself, given that the game is ever-changing.

"The first five to eight minutes are a very new beginning to the show, which includes the makeup of the tribes," Burnett said. "In fact, the way the tribes are even chosen is a very new way of doing it."

Burnett also confirmed reports that a fight of some kind occurred between the castaways.

"What went down was, there was a situation where, for the first time, we allowed physical contact in a challenge, and it got a little out of hand," he said. "Jeff (host Jeff Probst) started feeling like he was refereeing the NFL, I think.

"You know what, tensions run really high when big rewards or immunity are at stake and you've got a bunch of guys with too much testosterone running around. It makes good TV, though -- that's the good thing about it.

"Jeff was able to tone things down by yelling at them. I think the words he used were, `I'm beginning to sound like a broken record here, guys -- chill out.' "

Burnett was unapologetic that the cast of this fifth edition of Survivor includes six people with Texas connections.

"We decided, rather than try to make it geographically split, let's see what comes up in the characters we like," he said. "The fact is, we could've gotten rid of them, but they were such good characters we decided just to keep them. It wasn't fair. It was luck the way it worked out. We kept them, and we're glad we did because they all turned out to be fun people and good TV."

The six include:


Collins
Jake Billingsley, 61, a land broker born in Tyler, now living in McKinney.

Penny Ramsey, 27, born in Houston, raised in New Jersey, educated at the University of Tennessee and the University of Maryland (where she was a cheerleader), now a pharmaceutical sales rep living in Plano.

Erin Collins, 26, a real estate agent born in Wichita, Kan., now living in Austin.


Gentry
Jan Gentry, 53, a Fort Worth native now teaching first grade in Tampa, Fla.

Jed Hildebrand, a 25-year-old dental student from Dallas.

Clay Jordan, 46, a native of Canyon who now runs a restaurant in Monroe, La.


Hildebrand
Other members of the cast are Stephanie Dill, 29, a Fayetteville, Ark., firefighter; Helen Glover, 47, a Navy swim instructor living in Middletown, R.I.; and Brian Heidik, 34, a used-car salesman in Quartz Hill, Calif., who also has appeared in soft-core porn films (Heidik's history doesn't come up on the show, Burnett said).


Jordan
The cast also includes Shii Ann Huang, 28, an executive recruiter born in Taipei, now living in New York; Ghandia Johnson, 33, a legal secretary in Denver; John Raymond, 40, a pastor in Slidell, La.; Ted Rogers Jr., 37, a Durham, N.C., software development manager; Ken Stafford, 30, a Brooklyn police officer; Tanya Vance, 27, a social worker in Gray, Tenn.; and Robb Zbacnik, 23, a bartender from Scottsdale, Ariz.

Burnett would not say whether the contestants know who won Survivor: Thailand. He didn't divulge how the finale will play out. Recent editions have had a live finale.

He said no decision has been reached on where a sixth edition of the game will be played.

"Regarding cold weather," said Burnett, "I joke around, saying, `Yeah, it's the bathing suits,' but truly, I'm totally considering Tierra del Fuego, which is the southern tip of Patagonia (in Argentina), which is the end of the earth.

"There's no question we could do something not on an island and not necessarily in a warm climate. I don't want to go to Antarctica or Greenland because it's so cold, but you could go to a place like Patagonia, the southern tip of the Andes. Iceland would be a beautiful location, and so would the Himalayas."

Hippyt

Thursday, September 19, 2002 - 01:19 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Nothing new here,but I thought the last part about filming the series in the cold was interesting. Would make for some beautiful scenery.

Dahli

Thursday, September 19, 2002 - 02:12 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
it'll never happen, no chance of regular nudity.... who'd watch that?

Julztravels

Tuesday, September 24, 2002 - 05:36 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Here are a couple of articles by a really funny writer, Larry Johnson:
http://www.survivornews.net/article.php?id=93
http://www.survivornews.net/article?id=96

If you want to read any of the articles he wrote for S4, check out his list at:
http://www.survivornews.net/snn.php?sid=gsj