Opentopia Directory Encyclopedia Tools

Survivor (TV series)

Encyclopedia : S : SU : SUR : Survivor (TV series)



 

"Survivor" redirects here. For , see .
Survivor is a popular reality television game show produced in many countries throughout the world. In the show, contestants are isolated in a remote location and compete for cash and other prizes. "Survivor," based on the successful Swedish show Expedition: Robinson, is commonly considered the mother of reality TV. The show even has its own "reality coaster" at Paramount's Great America in the San Fransico/San Jose/Oakland Bay Area , called [[Survivor: The Ride!]]

Premise

Except where noted, this text refers to the American version of the show. Small differences may exist between it and other versions. Also, rule changes instituted for one season are discussed below.

Tribes and Immunity

At least 16 strangers (18 or 20 in some seasons) are stranded in a remote location and divided into equally sized teams called "tribes". They compete against each other in competitions called challenges. These are divided into reward challenges and immunity challenges. Both types consist of endurance, problem solving, teamwork, dexterity, and/or will power. After the immunity challenge the losing tribe must vote to remove one of their own members from the game at the Tribal Council. Most episodes also have a reward challenge where the winning tribe receives a little comfort such as flint (for making fire a little bit more easy), hygiene materials, fishing gear, and the like. When there are at least 10 players left in the game (9 in All-Stars and Palau, 8 in Thailand), they "merge" into a single tribe. From this point, challenges are won on an individual basis. Rewards are given to only one player, and sometimes that player has the option of sharing the reward with one or more other players.

Tribal Council

<div class=[Spoiler warningSpoiler warning]: Plot and/or ending details follow.
The final 7 at tribal council in Survivor Guatemala" title="The final 7 at tribal council in Survivor Guatemala" />
Enlarge
The final 7 at tribal council in Survivor Guatemala

Tribal Council is held at the end of each episode. Here the tribemates vote one person out of their tribe.  Jeff Probst, the show's host, questions the players, often provoking revealing details from them of events and interactions since the tribe's previous tribal council. The players then vote in secret, and the player who receives the most votes must leave the game. That player takes his or her torch to Probst, who extinguishes it, and declares "The tribe has spoken." The player then exits the Tribal Council area and delivers some final words that air at the end of the episode. 

In the event of a tie, the following tiebreakers have been used:

Note 1: With the same number of prior votes, the person to lose a sudden death trivia challenge is eliminated.

Note: 2: Previous tie-breaker re-votes do not count as "previous votes" in a future tie

When three contestants are remaining in the game, only the winner of that immunity challenge may vote, as the votes from the other two contestants would cancel each other out.

End of the game

All eliminated players, except the final nine, leave the game altogether. Those who finish in ninth through third place remain to form the "jury". In the final episode the players go through a number of activities that ends in an immunity challenge. Immediately following this challenge another person is voted out. The players return to camp and go through a "memorial" for the players previously eliminated from the game on the way to their final endurance challenge. Whoever wins this challenge votes another player out, thereby determining who receives third place and which two players go to the final two. The final two return to camp for one last day. At the final Tribal Council each of the seven jurors votes for the winner. Probst takes the container with the votes, and it is secured until the live finale of the show, when the votes are revealed and the million-dollar winner is announced (Excluding the first season as the jury votes were revealed after they were cast, just like any other Tribal Council).

[Spoiler warningSpoiler warning]: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Prizes

Every player receives a stipend for participating on Survivor depending on how long they last in the game. The known prizes for All-Stars are as follows: 2nd = $250,000; 3rd = $125,000; 4th = $100,000. In most seasons, the runner-up receives $100,000, and third place wins $85,000. Sonja Christopher, the first player voted off in Survivor's first season, received $2,500. [Senior Women Web] Tina Wesson, the first player voted off in Survivor: All-stars, received $25,000. The prizes in seasons with more than sixteen contestants are unknown.

The million-dollar winner also wins an automobile, as does the winner of a specific reward challenge in each season (excluding the first). All players also receive an additional $10,000 for their appearance on the reunion show.

Game rules

(rules may vary in foreign versions of the series)

Concept history

The creation of the Survivor concept, although credited to Charlie Parsons, was actually conceived by Bob Geldof's Planet 24 television company. It initially failed to attract the attention of any of the major broadcasters in Britain or the United States and was eventually sold to the Swedish television company Strix Television as Expedition Robinson (alluding to Robinson Crusoe). The show was a major hit in Sweden.

The initial series was a huge ratings success in the US in 2000 and, along with ABC's prime-time game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, sparked a reality-television revolution. Suddenly networks pushed sitcoms and conventional drama series to the back burner and rushed their own reality shows into development. Even the Fox Network, which had vowed never to air a reality show again just months earlier following media outrage surrounding its Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire? program, broke its promise and launched several competitors of its own. Survivor's second season, in the winter/spring of 2001, drew even larger audiences. Subsequent US versions have attracted smaller but still substantial audiences. There have also been British and Australian versions of the show in 2001 and 2002 respectively. Both were ratings flops, indeed in Britain, its failure was a national joke (though ratings for the UK series were considerably lower than ITV had hoped for, it still regularly attracted six to eight million viewers, a decent rather than huge audience, but enough for ITV to commission a second series which appeared a year later). A Japanese version was also produced for four installments which achieved some success [TBS Japan]. Broadcast rights for the American version have been sold to various broadcasters and is viewed in many countries around the world.

US Survivor seasons

Locations of the different seasons
Enlarge
Locations of the different seasons

The United States version is produced by Mark Burnett and hosted by Jeff Probst. It airs Thursdays on CBS.

  1. [[Survivor: Borneo]] (also called Survivor: Pulau Tiga, Survivor 1, or simply Survivor) was set in the South China Sea on the remote Malaysian island of Pulau Tiga. Corporate trainer Richard Hatch was its winner in a 4-3 vote over river raft guide Kelly Wiglesworth. (NOTE: For this season only, it aired on Wednesdays.)
  2. [[Survivor: The Australian Outback]] was set in the Australian Outback (though the location was by Australian standards not particularly remote, nor was it arid). Tina Wesson won 4-3 over Colby Donaldson. During this series, Michael Skupin suffered burns and became the first contestant evacuated due to injuries.
  3. [[Survivor: Africa]] was set in Kenya's Shaba National Reserve http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,8472,00.html, (previously home to the film Born Free http://www.roveafrica.com/itineraries/survivor_itin.htm). Former USL player Ethan Zohn won, defeating retired teacher Kim Johnson by a vote of 5-2.
  4. [[Survivor: Marquesas]] was set on Nuku Hiva, the largest of the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia. For the first time the final two were both women. Vecepia Towery won by a vote of 4-3 over Neleh Dennis. This season was the only time the infamous Purple Rock tie breaker was ever used. However, Jeff Probst later admitted that it was not supposed to be used at the final 4 as it was. The Purple Rock is only the tie breaker up to the final 6. At the final 4, the tie breaker is supposed to be a fire-starting challenge.
  5. [[Survivor: Thailand]] was set on the island of Koh Tarutao off the coast of Thailand. For the first time the tribes were not predetermined by producers, but were rather picked by the two oldest players, Jake and Jan. Also, this season was the first to feature a "fake merge" and a delayed merge. Also, two opposing tribes lived together on the same beach. For the first time the final two were both men. Used car salesman Brian Heidik beat restaurant owner Clay Jordan by a vote of 4-3. This season is often considered the worst season among fans due to its unlikable cast and its mean-spirited nature.
  6. [[Survivor: The Amazon]] was set in the jungles of the Amazon River region of Brazil. This was the first time the two tribes were divided up by males and females. Student and model Jenna Morasca won by a vote of 6-1 over Matthew Von Ertfelda.
  7. [[Survivor: Pearl Islands]] was set in the Pearl Islands off the coast of Panama. Sandra Diaz-Twine defeated Lillian Morris by a vote of 6-1. This season was the first time players who had been voted out were allowed to return to the game as part of the Outcast Tribe. This season is considered a favorite among Survivor fans due to a great cast and a popular winner.
  8. [[Survivor: All-Stars]] was also set in the Pearl Islands. The game featured eighteen past Survivor contestants divided into three tribes. Amber Brkich won by a vote of 4-3 over Rob Mariano. Just before the live vote was revealed, Rob and Amber became engaged. [[Survivor: America's Tribal Council]] was held four days later, and a second million-dollar prize was awarded to Rupert Boneham for being voted by the viewers as their favorite contestant (making him the only player in the show's history to win a million dollars on the show without actually being the "sole survivor").
  9. [[Survivor: Vanuatu]] - Islands of Fire was set on islands in the archipelago nation of Vanuatu, located in the South Pacific Ocean. Chris Daugherty defeated Twila Tanner by a vote of 5-2.
  10. [[Survivor: Palau]] was set in the island nation of Palau, located in the Philippine Sea. The season started with 20 contestants, but on Day 3, the number was reduced to 18 in a tribal selection process. The season concluded with firefighter Tom Westman prevailing over Katie Gallagher by a vote of 6-1.
  11. [[Survivor: Guatemala]] - The Mayan Empire was set in the Yaxha National Park. 18 Survivors (16 new contestants plus Stephenie LaGrossa and Bobby Jon Drinkard from [[Survivor: Palau]]) were stranded amongst the ruins of the Maya civilization. The season concluded with Danni Boatwright defeating Stephenie LaGrossa by a 6-1 vote.
  12. [[Survivor: Panama]] - Exile Island was set in the Pearl Islands of Panama, marking the third time this location has been used for Survivor. Bruce Kanegai became the second person in the history of the show to leave due to a medical emergency. The season concluded with Aras Baskauskas defeating Danielle DiLorenzo by a vote of 5-2.
  13. [[Survivor: Cook Islands]] will premiere in the autumn of 2006. This thirteenth season will take place on the Cook Islands in the South Pacific Ocean.

Controversies & legal action

This section does not cite its [Citing sourcesreferences or sources].
You can [WikiProject Fact and Reference Checkhelp] Wikipedia by introducing appropriate citations.''
Turmoil between players is commonplace for any reality series, but Survivor has had a few instances which went beyond mere intertribal squabbles:

Trivia

UK Survivor

Survivor (UK) premiered in the United Kingdom in 2001. The format was similar to the US version and was screened on ITV. Sixteen contestants were marooned on the island of Pulau Tiga and were split into two tribes. They completed in challenges and schemed against each other. Charlotte Hobrough won the first series. Despite the hype surrounding the show it did poorly in the ratings and was heavily criticised by the press.

Despite the disappointing performance of the first series, ITV commissioned a second series with some changes. Presenters Mark Austin and John Leslie were replaced by Channel 4 cricket presenter Mark Nicholas. There were twelve contestants instead of sixteen and the show was scheduled in a later time slot. The second series was set in Panama, in the Bocas Del Toro area, not in the Pearl Islands, and Jonny Gibb won. The ratings were still low so ITV cancelled the show.

Survivor: a chronology

{| class="wikitable" !Date!!Event |- |1994-1995 |British producer Charlie Parsons created the idea for Survivor, but was unable to find a TV company interested in the idea. |- |1995 |Mark Burnett first told about the idea that would become Survivor. |- |1996 |Sweden bought the rights to Survivor. |- |Summer 1997 |Sweden's Expedition Robinson series 1 filmed by Strix. |- |Fall 1997 |Sweden's Expedition Robinson series 1 aired and is a huge hit. |- |Unknown |John de Mol bought the rights to 'Survivor', but created Big Brother instead. |- |1998 |Mark Burnett bought the United States rights to Survivor. |- |Summer 1999 |Mark Burnett's Survivor was turned down by NBC, ABC, CBS, and UPN. He got another chance at CBS, and Les Moonves bought it. |- |June 1999 |Mark Burnett scouted locations in Borneo for Survivor. |- |13 March - 20 April 2000 |[[Survivor: Borneo]] was filmed. |- |31 May - 23 August 2000 |Survivor Borneo aired. |- |23 August 2000 |The Survivor Borneo finale aired, but Mark Burnett was in Borneo preparing for Eco-Challenge. |- |23 October - November 2000 |[[Survivor: The Australian Outback]] was filmed in Australia. |- |28 January - 3 May 2001 |Survivor The Australian Outback aired. |- |July - August 2001 |[[Survivor: Africa]] was filmed. |- |August - September 2001 |Mark Burnett began preparing in Jordan for Survivor Arabia. |- |11 September 2001 |After 9/11, Mark Burnett decided not to hold Survivor 4 in Jordan. |- |September 2001 |Leslie Moonves told Mark Burnett that the start date for Survivor 4 filming would stay the same, so Mark Burnett must find a new location quickly. |- |15 September 2001 |Mark Burnett flew to Tahiti in French Polynesia to scout out a location for Survivor 4. |- |17 September 2001 |Mark Burnett scouted the Marquesas Islands. |- |20 September 2001 |Mark Burnett picked the Marquesas. |- |4 October 2001 - 17 January 2002 |Survivor: Africa aired. |- |12 November - December 2001 |[[Survivor: Marquesas]] was filmed in place of Survivor Arabia. |- |28 February - 13 May 2002 |Survivor Marquesas aired. |- |13 May 2002 |The Survivor Marquesas reunion aired outdoors in Trump Wollman Rink. |- |Summer 2002 |Mark Burnett chose Thailand over Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia for Survivor 5. |- |Summer 2002 |[[Survivor: Thailand]] was filmed. |- |19 September - 12 December 2002 |Survivor Thailand aired. |- |Fall 2002 |The Philippines was selected as the location for Survivor 6. Because of terror alerts it was moved to the jungles around the Amazon River. [link]- it was later revealed that this was merely a misunderstanding as it was the Japanese version of Survivor that was actually going to film in the Phillippines, The US version was always going to film in the Amazon for its 6th season. |- |7 November - 15 December 2002 |[[Survivor: Amazon]] was filmed. |- |2003 |Survivor versus I'm A Celebrity... court case was decided in favor of Celebrity. |- |13 February - 11 May 2003 |Survivor Amazon aired. |- |1 May 2003 |Survivor Amazon reunion was to be at Trump Wollman Rink, but it was moved indoors to the Ed Sullivan Theater at the last minute due to weather. |- |The week of 23rd of June 2003 |[[Survivor: Pearl Islands]] was filmed. |- |18 September - 14 December 2003 |Survivor Pearl Islands aired. |- |Fall 2003 |[[Survivor: All-Stars]] was filmed. |- |1 February - 9 May 2004 |Survivor All-Stars aired. |- |13 May 2004 |America's Tribal Council was held, and America voted to give Rupert Boneham a million dollars. |- |July - 11 August 2004 |[[Survivor: Vanuatu]] - Islands of Fire was filmed. |- |16 September - 12 December 2004 |US Survivor: Vanuatu aired. |- |Fall 2004 |[[Survivor: Palau]] was filmed. |- |December 2004 |Mark Burnett scouted Madagascar as a possible future Survivor location. |- |17 February - 12 May 2005 |Survivor: Palau aired. |- |Summer 2005 |[[Survivor: Guatemala]] - The Mayan Empire was filmed. |- |15 September - 11 December 2005 |Survivor: Guatemala - The Mayan Empire aired. |- |31 October - 8 December 2005 |[[Survivor: Panama]] - Exile Island was filmed. |- |2 February - 14 May 2006 |Survivor: Panama - Exile Island aired. |- |26 June - 3 August 2006 |[[Survivor: Cook Islands]] will be filmed. |- |[[]] - [[]] 2006 |Survivor: Cook Islands will air. |-

DVD releases

Cover art for the Survivor Australia DVD
Enlarge
Cover art for the Survivor Australia DVD

Best of
DVD Name Release Date
Season One: The Greatest and Most Outrageous Moments 1 January 2001
Season Two: The Greatest and Most Outrageous Moments 25 September 2001

Full seasons
DVD Name Release Date
The Complete First Season: Borneo 11 May 2004
The Complete Second Season: Australian Outback 26 April 2005
The Complete Seventh Season: Pearl Islands 7 February 2006
The Complete Eighth Season: All-Stars 14 September 2004
The Complete Ninth Season: Vanuatu [link] TBA
The Complete Tenth Season: Palau [link] 29 August 2006

Complete Seasons on iTunes
Currently Available
Season 9: Vanuatu
Season 10: Palau
Season 11: Guatemala
Season 12: Exile Island

References

See also

Seasons of Survivor
[[Survivor: Borneo>Borneo]] (2000) - [Official site] [[Survivor: The Australian Outback>Australia]] (2001) - [Official site] [[Survivor: Africa>Africa]] (2001) - [Official site] [[Survivor: Marquesas>Marquesas]] (2002)-[Official site] [[Survivor: Thailand>Thailand]] (2002) - [Official site]
[[Survivor: The Amazon>Amazon]] (2003) - [Official site] [[Survivor: Pearl Islands>Pearl Islands]] (2003) - [Official site] [[Survivor: All-Stars>All-Stars]] (2004) - [Official site] [[Survivor: Vanuatu>Vanuatu]] (2004) - [Official site] [[Survivor: Palau>Palau]] (2005) - [Official site]
[[Survivor: Guatemala>Guatemala]] (2005) - [Official site] [[Survivor: Panama>Panama]] (2006) - [Official site] [[Survivor: Cook Islands>Cook Islands]] (2006) Survivor 14>Survivor 14 (TBA)

External links

Survivor (USA)

Survivor International

Further reading

'''United Kingdom Season #1 (2001)

'''United Kingdom Season #2: Survivor: Panama (2002)

United States Season #1: Survivor: Pulau Tiga, Borneo (2000) United States Season #2: Survivor: The Australian Outback (2001) '''United States Season #9: Survivor: Vanuatu -Islands of Fire (2004) '''Various Seasons, esp. United States 1-6 Survivor Lessons, edited by Matthew J. Smith and Andrew F. Wood. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2004.

 


From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.


Search Titles
0123456789
ABCDEFGHIJ
KLMNOPQRST
UVWXYZ?

E-mail this article to:

Personal Message: