What is going on here? I’m crying watching Survivor. Last week we had Jonathan’s heartbreaking leave from the game and this week Kathy had me ready to bawl with her total breakdown. It was so sad to watch, but for the first time ever I think viewers got a true taste of what the Survivor experience is like. I know if I had to sleep in that cave with the rats and the bats and the creepy crawlies in order to avoid the hours-long downpour outside I would have found myself in much the same condition as Kathy. Poor thing.It is well documented how Jeff feels about quitters on this show, but when he sat on that log next to Kathy and said that he just wanted to understand you realize again why he’s the best host on TV. Kathy replied, “I don’t want anybody to think that I’m quitting,” and I completely teared up. And so another player leaves the game without benefit of a vote or a torch snuffing. I’ll miss the wackiness that Kathy brought to the show...
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It’s always a sad day on Survivor when a player gets taken out of the game due to circumstances beyond their control. Today was especially sad for this reviewer since Jonathan Penner was a particular favorite. Always interesting, always entertaining Jonathan played the game with such enthusiasm that he energized his whole team. He gave it his all yet never lost sight of the fact that in the end it was just game. So, it just sucks that last week’s infernal game of prison-escapee tag – the same one that left others battered and bruised – resulted in this season losing one of its best players due to a potentially life-threatening infection. Jonathan’s teary farewell group hug, Kathy sobbing, “we need you! I need you!” – had me misty-eyed myself. Now James is left on a tribe of women and one longhaired guy and he’s feeling a little vulnerable – as he should. Let’s face it James is not the most strategic player Survivor’s ever...
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Jeff Probst, Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites
Who would have imagined that Survivor could still surprise us? Yet its 16th edition, Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites (Thursdays at 8 pm/ET, CBS; see programming note below) — which finds notable former players alongside a group of ardent devotees — has proven refreshingly unpredictable. According to host Jeff Probst, the twists just keep on comin': "Mark my words. There's so much crazy stuff to come — the kind that producers pray to the reality gods for." Here's an exclusive peek at the whiplash headed your way. (Lots of spoilers ahead!)
Jonathan Penner is forced to leave the game — and he's not alone! A nasty gash on his right leg that Jonathan sustained during a challenge in the March 6 episode grows increasingly infected, ultimately forcing the prickly playe
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What a satisfying episode! There was a tribe mix-up, a brutal challenge, a little hero worship and a blind-sided ouster. I have to say that I am truly enjoying this season. I like that things are not following the frequent pattern of a dominant alliance calling the shots and picking off the lesser alliance one by one. Jeff pulled the old “drop your buffs” tribe switcheroo. Isn’t it interesting how the new Airai and Malakal tribes turned out? The couples alliance was split between the two tribes yet by some strange coincidence each member of the couples ended up with their respective partner. Looking at the breakdown (Airai: Natalie, James, Alexis, Jonathan, Jason, Parvati, Kathy, Eliza. Malakal: Ozzy, Joel, Amanda, Erik, Ami, Tracy, Cirie, Chet) I have give the edge to Malakal. I see a strong alliance forming between Ami, Tracy, Cirie and Chet that could run the rest of the game. We’ll see.How lucky is Erik to have landed on the same tribe as his idol Ozzy? G...
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Given the fireworks of last week’s show and the previews that promised a continuation of the Cirie/Jonathan showdown I have to say I was somewhat let down by tonight’s follow-up. It was like going to see Captain Ron, remember that movie with Martin Short and Kurt Russell? All the funny parts were in the trailer. It’s the same situation here. We saw all the fireworks between the factions at the end of last week’s show. That said, Jonathan still continues to amuse me with his penchant for busting into people’s private strategy sessions. This week he followed Parvati and Eliza as Eliza was trying to position herself in the couples’ alliance. Lucky for Eliza, the favorites, divided as they are, certainly work well together during challenges. They won both reward and immunity and in the process earned three hens, one rooster and chicken feed. Ozzy, who was sent to Exile Island along with Kathy (on her third visit), returned to his tribe with the hidden...
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Ryan Seacrest by Sam Jones/Fox, Jeff Probst by Monty Brinton/CBS
"And the winner for outstanding reality host... after this."Though a spokesperson for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences says it's "premature" to discuss any changes in store for this fall's Primetime Emmy Awards, sources tell Variety that a category honoring the best reality host is being added, affording the likes of Ryan and Jeff to make a grab for gold. The new category is said to have been tentatively approved, pending a final board vote in mid-March. Meanwhile, a bid to merge the best miniseries and made-for-TV movie categories into one reportedly has been rejected, even though the actors in each format compete against each other.What's your take? Who do you think is reality TV's most outstanding frontman? Cast your vote here!
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“With all due respect, I think you’re giving yourself too much credit.” I love it when Jeff gets feisty. He’s been so since episode one where he easily and repeatedly cut the dearly departed Johnny Fairplay down to size. Tonight this gentle barb was meant purely for Chet who – well, I’ll just say it – he choked during the immunity challenge and then tried to pass it off as if he were merely giving another tribe member a chance to play. Chet better watch it. He, along with Kathy and Tracy, are already flailing about in quicksand in the eyes of the other, younger fans. I don’t recall ever seeing a tribe separate under two shelters as this one has. If Chet is any evidence, this sub-tribe of three is going to need to kick their game up a notch or the remaining seven tribe mates are going to eat them alive. Surprised as I am to say this, I would miss Kathy. It could just be that she won me over with her impersonation of Joel, but she seems like ...
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Survivor: Micronesia---Fans vs. Favorites by Monty Brinton/CBS
The when: Premieres Thursday, Feb. 7, at 8 pm/ET on CBS.Why watch?: Generally good-looking people with worsening hygiene sharing cramped, sandy quarters, subsisting on a couple of grains and rice, and buckling under the pressure of a win-or-go-home scenario — what's not to love? Survivor has managed to come up with new conflicts, new challenges and new locations for 16 seasons now, and this one is no exception: Some of the best-liked players from seasons past are back, and this time they're taking on their biggest fans.Who's who: Jeff Probst has been the host of Survivor since Season 1, when the contestants were cast away in Borneo. This season, familiar faces return to the competition, like last season's gentle giant James, the gravedigger, Cook Islands' likable jack-of-all-trades Ozzy, and Fiji's sympathetic underdog Yau-Man.What's next: With new challenges and a brand-new premise, this season should be one to remember. Will it work to the favorites' advantage or disadvantage...
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Dishing on the upcoming season of Survivor, host Jeff Probst tells ET to expect a "love affair" that offers viewers "some of the most intimate footage" the show has "ever had." The new season, Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites, premieres Feb. 7 on CBS at 8 pm/ET.Although Probst promises that the affair will be "consummated" in a "Survivor way" (a torch-lit evening with champagne and a big tent?), there won't be any island offspring to look forward to next season if tribes use all of their tools, which include the modern convenience of contraceptives. "We don't want to have any Survivor babies," he said. Word to CBS: Way to shoot yourself in the series-longevity foot; that could've been the ticket to "Survivor: Family Edition." — Anna DimondRelated:• Survivor: Micronesia Preview! Meet the Players!
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Survivor's Jeff Probst by Monty Brinton/CBS
With Season 16 of Survivor arriving Thursday, Feb. 7 (see Interviews & Features for a rundown of the Fans vs Favorites cast), CBS has ordered not one but two more cycles of the reality competition. "Survivor is a show that defies ratings gravity," CBS reality boss Ghen Maynard tells Variety. "It is a truly remarkable feat to be winning your time period in all ratings categories after 15 editions." In its most recent season, Survivor averaged 15.2 million — continuing a year-to-year slide but still drawing plenty to best its Thursday-at-8 rivals.The real Survivor in all of this, of course, is host man Jeff Probst, who himself has signed on for the two new seasons as well. Dude must earn serious coin. His Off! budget alone....
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