Survivor 4 Completes Filming in the Marquesas
December 28, 2001 1:18 PM Subscribe
Survivor 4 Completes Filming in the Marquesas
Supposedly this was a big secret, but if you live in Tahiti and the Marquesas, it was public knowledge that the next Survivor series will be set in Nuku Hiva, in the Marquesas Islands (Map: French Polynesia).
Of note, people have been trading gossip about the show's many secrets. This site release regular reports on what's afoot on Nuku Hiva, and speculates on the content of next season's show. Unlike the last settings for Survivor, Nuku Hiva is convenient for tourists (Map: Nuku Hiva Amenities), and is densely populated by Marquesans and Tahitians. This must have been the leakiest Survivor ever.
It may be worth watching next year, just for the scenery! (Scroll down for pics.)
Supposedly this was a big secret, but if you live in Tahiti and the Marquesas, it was public knowledge that the next Survivor series will be set in Nuku Hiva, in the Marquesas Islands (Map: French Polynesia).
Of note, people have been trading gossip about the show's many secrets. This site release regular reports on what's afoot on Nuku Hiva, and speculates on the content of next season's show. Unlike the last settings for Survivor, Nuku Hiva is convenient for tourists (Map: Nuku Hiva Amenities), and is densely populated by Marquesans and Tahitians. This must have been the leakiest Survivor ever.
It may be worth watching next year, just for the scenery! (Scroll down for pics.)
Michael Field (AFP) wrote on Nov. 7: "No CBS hype can convince those in the know that Nuku Hiva is a place to be survived. Rather, it is an experience."
posted by rschram at 1:57 PM on December 28, 2001
posted by rschram at 1:57 PM on December 28, 2001
Well, I'll come out and admit it, that it is my dirty secret. I do watch those shows. I think the reason I have stayed watching it is that I never looked at it as 'survival' but rather an elaborate, long-running game show. And what I think many people see as a detraction to it, the constant conspiring and manipulation of the members, I find a certain sort of interesting show of human interaction and the politics of a small group (albeit under uncommon and unrealistic conditions.)
I think in regards to that Michael Field quote, I wonder if CBS would be better off in focusing a bit more on the whole 'experience' side of it, rather than the 'survival' which I don't think anyone will truly believe, unless someone accidentally, say, gets mauled by a shark, eaten alive by piranhas or impaled by the machinery of some elaborate immunity challenge.
As to survivor 5, in one of those articles there was a mention of the possibility of it being in the Amazons (hey CBS here's your chance, hint: piranhas)
posted by oneiros at 2:22 PM on December 28, 2001
I think in regards to that Michael Field quote, I wonder if CBS would be better off in focusing a bit more on the whole 'experience' side of it, rather than the 'survival' which I don't think anyone will truly believe, unless someone accidentally, say, gets mauled by a shark, eaten alive by piranhas or impaled by the machinery of some elaborate immunity challenge.
As to survivor 5, in one of those articles there was a mention of the possibility of it being in the Amazons (hey CBS here's your chance, hint: piranhas)
posted by oneiros at 2:22 PM on December 28, 2001
i've watched maybe 3 episodes. What i find interesting is the social cannibilism. The backstabbing, the--to borrow a character from tolkien--the wormtongue that always pops up...whispering about power alliances etc...
they could put them in a 5-star hotel and it would be the same.
"I know you made a special connection with Amy, and that she is your new best friend, but the fact remains that she is better friends with the head bell hop as well as--don't be shocked--the morning maid service. That makes her a danger to you....to us. You have to vote her off, she will understand."
posted by th3ph17 at 2:46 PM on December 28, 2001
they could put them in a 5-star hotel and it would be the same.
"I know you made a special connection with Amy, and that she is your new best friend, but the fact remains that she is better friends with the head bell hop as well as--don't be shocked--the morning maid service. That makes her a danger to you....to us. You have to vote her off, she will understand."
posted by th3ph17 at 2:46 PM on December 28, 2001
I agree with oneiros... I enjoy watching the show to see how the group dynamics evolve based on the changing conditions of the game. Sure, I roll my eyes about the over-the-top product placement, hokey ceremonies, and "educational" challenges.
I like watching how some people tear each other apart under stress as compared to others that stick to their guns - even if it means losing the game. Same kind of vibe as the early "Real World" shows with more urgency.
Pretty cool - it's the only show I really watch on TV.
posted by fuzzynavel at 5:33 PM on December 28, 2001
I like watching how some people tear each other apart under stress as compared to others that stick to their guns - even if it means losing the game. Same kind of vibe as the early "Real World" shows with more urgency.
Pretty cool - it's the only show I really watch on TV.
posted by fuzzynavel at 5:33 PM on December 28, 2001
I want snow. The show is about what Americans consider exotic. (SE Asia, Africa, Polynesia, Australia... all very kooky places.) No snow for you!
posted by rschram at 5:53 PM on December 28, 2001
posted by rschram at 5:53 PM on December 28, 2001
I want snow. i'd buy you a ticket to buffalo, holloway, but buffalo niagara international airport is snowed in in. :) signed, buffalo native, currently living in new jersey.
posted by complex at 6:34 PM on December 28, 2001
posted by complex at 6:34 PM on December 28, 2001
You can't show the skin if it's cold out. I don't think they'll be doing snow.
posted by danwalker at 7:26 PM on December 28, 2001
posted by danwalker at 7:26 PM on December 28, 2001
The show gets better if you follow it for a few episodes - as you get to know the, uh, characters or whatever you want to call them, you can get pretty attached to them. Survivor's the only reality show I can watch, either... it seems to be produced a lot better than the others. And I really don't think anyone excpects it to be a game of survival at this point - this has been especially clear in the african one, where they're on a nature preserve and can't kill anything for themselves... so a lot of food is provided. By the end of the australian survivor, everyone was looking really emaciated and ill, and you could tell they hadn't been eating much for a long period of time. This time they're looking a lot healthier, and the show's just as good.
posted by chrisege at 12:55 AM on December 29, 2001
posted by chrisege at 12:55 AM on December 29, 2001
danwalker: You can't show the skin if it's cold out.
Au contrere, mon frere... you most certainly CAN, with some fringe benefits to boot.
Just imagine Jeri complaining of the cold... "it's getting so goddamn nipply here..." (And from the looks of Tina, looks like she was chilly already.) Elisabeth would have to cuddle with Colby to keep warm. Yum.
Don't put anything past Mark Burnett. Once you're the golden boy and you lose your footing, you'll do anything to get it back.
chrisege: This time they're looking a lot healthier, and the show's just as good.
Not in the least! The first Survivor was bonafide Great Television, the second was mediocre, and this third installment just plain sucks. It reeks of desperation and the ratings are reflecting it. (The mid-show "team swap" was an incredibly weak ploy if you ask me.)
I enjoy the backstabbing and gossip as much as the next guy, but at least in the first two seasons it came in spurts ... amidst real challenges and pseudo-survival adventure. This time 'round, it's a non-stop Backstab Marathon, with strategizing from the moment the wails of the theme music end to the moment we're reminded that "Survivor was brought to us by the people at Dr. Scholls." Not to mention how the constant "surprise ending" has become not-so-much-of-a-surprise-anymore and is increasingly frustrating to any viewer looking for consistency and an actual storyline that makes sense.
That said, I hope Ethan or Big Tom win. Anyone but Lex.
(And I swear, I'm not watching it next year.)
posted by Fofer at 5:54 AM on December 29, 2001
Au contrere, mon frere... you most certainly CAN, with some fringe benefits to boot.
Just imagine Jeri complaining of the cold... "it's getting so goddamn nipply here..." (And from the looks of Tina, looks like she was chilly already.) Elisabeth would have to cuddle with Colby to keep warm. Yum.
Don't put anything past Mark Burnett. Once you're the golden boy and you lose your footing, you'll do anything to get it back.
chrisege: This time they're looking a lot healthier, and the show's just as good.
Not in the least! The first Survivor was bonafide Great Television, the second was mediocre, and this third installment just plain sucks. It reeks of desperation and the ratings are reflecting it. (The mid-show "team swap" was an incredibly weak ploy if you ask me.)
I enjoy the backstabbing and gossip as much as the next guy, but at least in the first two seasons it came in spurts ... amidst real challenges and pseudo-survival adventure. This time 'round, it's a non-stop Backstab Marathon, with strategizing from the moment the wails of the theme music end to the moment we're reminded that "Survivor was brought to us by the people at Dr. Scholls." Not to mention how the constant "surprise ending" has become not-so-much-of-a-surprise-anymore and is increasingly frustrating to any viewer looking for consistency and an actual storyline that makes sense.
That said, I hope Ethan or Big Tom win. Anyone but Lex.
(And I swear, I'm not watching it next year.)
posted by Fofer at 5:54 AM on December 29, 2001
Fofer:
I thought that the “Team Swap” was inspired! It saved the show, this go-round.
The other good things about this season? The whiners are getting picked off, one by one (oh please oh please let it be Lex next!).
I'm constantly surprised how this show reinvents itself.
I'm glad for an island setting next time. I'm tired of parched eco-tourist landscapes and look forward to tropical intrigue. It's a better setting for people to wander off and form conspiracies...
posted by jpburns at 9:20 AM on December 29, 2001
I thought that the “Team Swap” was inspired! It saved the show, this go-round.
The other good things about this season? The whiners are getting picked off, one by one (oh please oh please let it be Lex next!).
I'm constantly surprised how this show reinvents itself.
I'm glad for an island setting next time. I'm tired of parched eco-tourist landscapes and look forward to tropical intrigue. It's a better setting for people to wander off and form conspiracies...
posted by jpburns at 9:20 AM on December 29, 2001
The Marquesas have most famously been done already, eh?
posted by Catch at 6:38 PM on December 29, 2001
posted by Catch at 6:38 PM on December 29, 2001
I thought that the “Team Swap” was inspired! It saved the show, this go-round.
Are you insane? All he did was hand an overwhelming numbers advantage from the mall rats over to the elders. The show became excruciatingly predictable since the booting of that jackass Silas (very early on). The ONLY mildly amusing thing has been watching Burnett do editing room backflips trying to manufacture suspense where none exists. Anyone who could count to 4 could see early on that Lex/Ethan/Tom/MamaKim were calling the shots. Teresa goes next. Big surprise, eh?
posted by RavinDave at 10:54 PM on December 29, 2001
Are you insane? All he did was hand an overwhelming numbers advantage from the mall rats over to the elders. The show became excruciatingly predictable since the booting of that jackass Silas (very early on). The ONLY mildly amusing thing has been watching Burnett do editing room backflips trying to manufacture suspense where none exists. Anyone who could count to 4 could see early on that Lex/Ethan/Tom/MamaKim were calling the shots. Teresa goes next. Big surprise, eh?
posted by RavinDave at 10:54 PM on December 29, 2001
Mark Burnett is very tough and very clever: from captaining the 92-93-94 American teams in the Raid Gauloises to multi emmy awards for Eco Challenge and Survivor. Survivor is funny, but if you like real drama, watch eco challenge this spring.
posted by Mack Twain at 11:23 PM on December 29, 2001
posted by Mack Twain at 11:23 PM on December 29, 2001
I agree with RavinDave on this one. There's nothing more boring than watching a game where the rules can change without any explanation. In this case, the reason was clear -- the game was already boring and Survivor was sinking, fast. The producers' actions injected a false surprise, and put certain contestants at a new disadvantage.
What next... bring Brandon off the jury and reincorporate him into the game? Why not? The only rule seems to be that the producers can change the rules, all for the sake of ratings. That's just not compelling television. In fact, I was surprised no one brought up the quiz show scandals of the 50's, where the outcome was manipulated for ratings. Think Silas will join Stacy Stillman's suit when the show ends?
posted by Fofer at 6:19 PM on December 31, 2001
What next... bring Brandon off the jury and reincorporate him into the game? Why not? The only rule seems to be that the producers can change the rules, all for the sake of ratings. That's just not compelling television. In fact, I was surprised no one brought up the quiz show scandals of the 50's, where the outcome was manipulated for ratings. Think Silas will join Stacy Stillman's suit when the show ends?
posted by Fofer at 6:19 PM on December 31, 2001
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Those shots of the islands looked great, but not worth the waste of time it would take to see them. It's a pretty lame show after all.
posted by Bag Man at 1:55 PM on December 28, 2001