Denise Martin by Jeffrey R. Staab/CBS
In the wake of the flap she caused by negatively spinning the circumstances of her back-home job situation during Sunday's Survivor: China reunion show, Denise Martin has issued a mea culpa, saying, "I would like to apologize to Mark Burnett, Jeff Probst, CBS, [school superintendent] Nancy Lane, the Town of Douglas [Mass.] and my friends and family. It was not my intention to mislead anyone. I take full responsibility for my actions and hope that you can find it in your hearts to forgive me."As for the $50,000 in feel-better funds she was surprised with by host man Jeff Probst, Martin says, "I do not feel comfortable about accepting [it]. I would instead ask that it be donated to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation." A CBS rep confirms that the money will indeed be earmarked for the charity.Related:• Survivor's "Lunch Lady" Served Up Lies, Says School
read more
Todd Herzog, Survivor: China
On Sunday's season finale of Survivor: China, Todd Herzog, the 22-year-old flight attendant from Pleasant Grove, Utah, beat out his two biggest allies, Courtney and Amanda, to win the grand prize. The next day, he told TVGuide.com about his strategy, those immunity idols and what he plans to do next.
TVGuide.com: Congratulations! So tell the truth — did you pretty much know you were going to win?Todd Herzog: I had no idea. I thought it was Courtney — for months I thought it was her. She surprised everybody. She came out there expecting to go home first, second or third, and instead she made it to the final three. This girl did an amazing job for the kind of person she is; she just took everybody by complete surprise. When it came down to the final vote, she owned at tribal council. Between me and her, we both did a really good job answering questions, and I felt kind
read more
Denise Martin by Jeffrey R. Staab/CBS
The school system for which Survivor: China contender Denise Martin works was dealt their own chef's suprise when on Sunday's reunion show the "lunch lady" claimed she was demoted from her job upon completing the reality competition. "This statement is false," says the superintendent for Douglas (Mass.) Public Schools. "In fact, Mrs. Martin held a full-time position as a custodian" — a promotion for which Denise applied and got — "prior to her participation in the series, and she returned to this same position upon her return. We were pleased and excited to support Denise, and have enthusiastically cheered her on. Regretfully, the Douglas Public School District was inaccurately portrayed as failing to be accommodating to an employee.... This is far from the case." Denise has since explained to CBS News (see video here) that she tried to get back her old job, as lunch lady, after Survivor, but was denied.In related news, tomorrow's lunch special is "Chix Nuggets."Update:&bu...
read more
I’m not sure how I feel yet about the Survivor: China finale. I found myself cheering at the end. Strange since I wasn’t originally a fan of the winner though I did warm up later on. I ended up feeling unsettled about a player I had liked all along and I survived a mini-roller coaster ride with another player when I found myself with no clear favorite in the end. To sum up, I was a little all over the place during the final three hours of the show. Now I sit here somewhat dazed by it all so let me tell you how I got here and see if anyone else feels the same.The two-hour finale started with a final reward challenge that had Amanda, Denise, Todd and Courtney rebuilding Survivor’s version of China’s Great Wall. Amanda won and was rewarded with a meal. She could choose to keep it all for herself or share it with one or two people. She agonized for the appropriate length of time and then chose to share her meal only with Todd. This was, after all, a perfect oppor...
read more
The tribe has spoken, and (spoiler alert!) the winner of Survivor: China is someone who was all of 14 years old when the original edition of CBS' long-running reality competition aired. Thanks to his inarguably smart game play, Todd Herzog of Pleasant Grove, Utah, emerged victorious during Sunday night's finale, besting the formidable likes of both Amanda and Courtney. What's your take? Is this winner truly a winner? Did you think someone else would win?Missed the finale or want to revisit it? Keep an eye out for Rhoda's Survivor: China recap.
read more
It would be unkind of me to start tonight’s blog off with a rousing chorus of Ding-Dong The Witch Is Dead. It really would. Because you know, I’m sure Peih-Gee is wonderful person in person, but in the game of Survivor this was not readily apparent and I’ll not be surprised if in the coming weeks of post-show Survivor press we witness her invoking the Bad Edit defense. If there’s one thing we’ve learned through these many days in China, it’s that Peih-Gee doesn’t give up easily. That’s what got her to one of the most important points in the game – the night we determine who will make final four. The stakes were high, not just because we’re so close to the end, but also because this week’s prize at the reward challenge was an overnight stay on the Great Wall of China complete with a meal. Who wouldn’t want to win this, right? But as we’ve seen at almost every challenge where the prize was a local cultural experience Pe...
read more
Five Remain on Survivor: China They’re tired, irritable and, quite frankly, really look like they need to eat a burger — or 10. With only five contestants left, time to start placing your votes as to who is actually going to be crowned Survivor: China. This week, everyone will be duking it out for a overnight trip to the Great Wall and some Mongolian BBQ. Then contestant numero 12 says bye-bye at tribal council. Who will it be? Watch it now! | More online videosSexy Pole Dancers on NYC SubwaysOh, the things people will do to make a buck. On a dare to win a cash prize, four exceptionally limber ladies showed their pole-dancing skills in a place they knew they would be appreciated — the NYC subways (the riders’ faces are priceless). Talk about ballsy! We're really hoping they win a nice chunk of change for their hard work because — take it from us — those trains aren’t exactly the cleanest things in the world to grind up against. More online videosS...
read more
Todd Herzog, Courtney Yates, Denise Martin, Amanda Kimmel and Peih-Gee Law, Survivor: China
Who’s going to win? Jeff Probst helps us rate China's (Thursdays, 8 pm/ET, CBS) final five.
ToddWe Say: The Utah-based flight attendant, 22, may be a little guy, but he's had the biggest impact on this season's game. He's smart, strategic and as cutthroat as Richard Hatch. But has he made too many enemies?Jeff Probst Says: "Todd has been exciting to watch because he gets such joy out of playing the game. He's loving this manipulative adventure he's on, and he's good at it. But it's always fun to be the person in charge of giving the blind side to somebody until you get to the final tribal council and they're sitting on the jury. Todd's gotta let other people get credit for making moves if he wants a chance to convince people he's worthy [of winning]."Odds:
read more
Erik Huffman, Survivor: China
Even though everyone liked him and he never really seemed that big a threat, 26-year-old Erik Huffman was sent home on last week's Survivor: China (Thursdays at 8 pm/ET, CBS), the latest former Zhan Hu tribe member to be sent packing. The musician and part-time model spoke with TVGuide.com about what he desperately craved in China, learning to appreciate the small things in life and his relationship with fellow Southern cutie Jamie.
TVGuide.com: You seemed to have a really tough time out there. What was the hardest part for you?Erik Huffman: There were a lot of hard things, honestly; showing up in a place where there's really no food, having to build a shelter, feeling like our team was an underdog from the beginning. It always felt like we were in an uphill battle. Life around camp was hard because we kept losing. It got even harder after the merge, when we were outnumbered. I just felt lik
read more
Is it luck or skill that’s keeping Peih-Gee in this game? It’s hard to tell. She’s most definitely an outsider. Though I think she does more to keep herself that way than she realizes. The poor thing. She wants to be a part of the crowd so badly, yet when Todd called for a celebratory group hug among the final six where was Peih-Gee? She was sitting off by herself and had to be pulled in.This was almost enough to make me feel sad for her, but then came the family visits at the reward challenge. Each player was partnered with a loved one and made to navigate a maze while blindfolded, find each other and then make their way to the center platform. Denise and her husband Robert were victorious despite the ear splitting (and hilarious) birdcall strategy used by Amanda and sister, Katrina. Denise stayed true to her alliance and chose Amanda, Katrina, Todd and his sister Brandi to join her on her river cruise and feast. This left Courtney and her English father Graham, E...
read more
