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What’s New for ‘Survivor: Philippines’?

August 20, 2012

'Survivor: Philippines' (Gordon Holmes)

The first fifteen members of the cast of “Survivor: Philippines” were announced by CBS this morning. These 15 strangers (including 2000 National League MVP Jeff Kent and former “Facts of Life” star Lisa Whelchel) will be divided into teams of three and joined by three returning “Survivor” favorites.

XfinityTV.com sent me deep into the Philippines wilderness on a mission to meet these folks and bring you all kinds of “Survivor” stuff including behind-the-scenes tidbits, pre-game interviews with the cast, insights from “Survivor” host Jeff Probst and Challenge Producer John Kirhoffer, a look at the first Tribal Council, and much more. I’ll be cranking out this goodness daily, so be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for up-to-the-minute updates on all of this season’s “Survivor” fun.

But, first and foremost let’s a look at how this season of “Survivor” will differ from previous incarnations…

	A Trio of Tribes For the first time since “Survivor: All Stars” the game will start with three separate tribes. What this means for the game is; the winner and second-runner-up for each immunity challenge will be safe, while the losing tribe will go to Tribal Council. This twist does limit each tribe to only six members, so it should make challenge prowess more valuable than it has been in the past.
	Three Returning Players…But Who? Each of the three tribes will be joined by a classic “Survivor” player. The identity of these three players can’t be revealed at this time, but can be said that the three players were all removed from a previous season due to an injury. We will have exclusive interviews with all three of the returning players once their names are made public.
	It Looks Like “Survivor” The first thing that struck me upon arriving at the Caramoan Islands in the Philippines was, “This place looks like ‘Survivor.’” There’s water as far as the eye can see and seemingly hundreds of tiny tropical islands. Host Jeff Probst agreed with me, “’Survivor’ in the Philippines is back to the roots of the show. You’re going to have a lot of people fishing and finding clams. This is where we like to be, it’s just you can’t always find water in places where there isn’t political unrest.”
	An Immunity Idol at Each Camp Now that the days of two tribes living on the same beach are gone, so too is the “You have to give the idol to someone on the opposing tribe” twist. I’ll let future talk-show mogul Jeff Probst fill you in the on the rest, “There are three immunity idols, one in each camp. And, they’re hidden in plain sight. You just have to look in the right spot. And there will be a clue hidden in the bottom of the rice container. And if someone finds that clue and really pays attention to it, they’ll find the idol.”
	Water Challenges Are Back One of the major complaints about recent “Survivor” seasons is the lack of water-based challenges. The “Survivor” production team was aware of those concerns, however locations like Gabon, Tocantins, Samoa, and Nicaragua didn’t have the kind of beaches that lend themselves to safe water activities. I am pleased to announce that “Survivor: Philippines” will be full of swimming, diving, boating, and other water activities. In fact, the first immunity challenge features quite a bit of in-water fun.

Don’t miss the premiere of “Survivor: Philippines” on Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at 8 p.m. ET.

Tags:jeff kent, jeff probst, Lisa Whelchel, survivor, survivor philippines
Posted in General, survivor, TV News | Comments Off on What’s New for ‘Survivor: Philippines’?

‘Facts of Life’ Star, 2000 NL MVP Join the Cast of ‘Survivor: Philippines’

August 20, 2012

'Survivor: Philippines' (CBS)

The first fifteen cast members for the 25^th season of “Survivor” were announced by CBS this morning including former “Facts of Life” star Lisa Whelchel and 2000 National League Most Valuable Player Jeff Kent. This group of strangers will be divided into three tribes (for the first time since “Survivor: All Stars”) and be joined by three previous “Survivor” competitors who will be named at a later date.

In other “Survivor” news, in an effort to get rid of me for good, the higher-ups at Xfinity TV sent me into the snake-infested Philippines wilderness. Unfortunately for them, I returned. Fortunately for “Survivor” fans, I came back with exclusive pre-game cast interviews, behind-the-scenes tidbits, photos, and more. I’ll be cranking these out daily between now and the show’s September 19th premiere, so be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for up-to-the-minute updates.

	Name: Sarah Dawson Age:28 Home:Silver Springs, MD Occupation:Insurance Sales Tribe:Kalabaw Fun Fact: A picture frame fell off a wall and smashed poor Dawson in the head during our pre-game interview. Fortunately, she was able to tough it out and enter the game.
	Name: Katie Hanson Age:22 Home:Newark, DE Occupation:Former Miss Delaware Tribe:Kalabaw Fun Fact: Katie hopes to become a Delaware State Trooper.
	Name: Jeff Kent Age:44 Home:Austin, TX Occupation:Former MLB Player Tribe:Kalabaw Fun Fact: Jeff owns motorcycle shops, a working ranch, and a golf course in Austin, Texas.
	Name: Dana Lambert Age:32 Home:Winston-Salem, NC Occupation:Cosmetologist Tribe:Kalabaw Fun Fact: Dana intends to use salt water to keep her hair looking its best while on the island.
	Name: Carter Williams Age:24 Home:Shawnee, KS Occupation:Track Coach Tribe:Kalabaw Fun Fact: Carter thinks he’s a cross between Ozzy Lusth and Fabio Birza.
	Name: Abi-Maria Gomes Age:32 Home:Los Angeles, CA Occupation:Business Student Tribe:Tandang Fun Fact: Abi-Maria owns a beverage company named GRC Beverages.
	Name: Roberta ‘RC’ Saint-Amour Age:27 Home:New York, NY Occupation:Investment Banker Tribe:Tandang Fun Fact: RC was the 112th Wellesley Hoop Rolling Champion.
	Name: Artis Silvester Age:53 Home:Terry Town, LA Occupation:Computer Engineer Tribe:Tandang Awesome Fact: Artis overcame stage-four cancer.
	Name: Lisa Whelchel Age:49 Home:Dallas, TX Occupation:Author, Speaker and a Mother Tribe:Tandang Fun Fact: Lisa starred in the ’80s comedy hit “The Facts of Life” alongside some guy named George Clooney.
	Name: Peter “Pete” Yurkowski Age:24 Home:Holmdel, NJ Occupation:Engineering Graduate Tribe:Tandang Fun Fact: Peter doesn’t like “ditzy” girls, but has no problem working with them to get his way.
	Name: Malcolm Freberg Age:25 Home:Hermosa Beach, CA Occupation:Bartender Tribe:Matsing Fun Fact: Malcolm inspiration in life was OJ Simpson…before the murder trial.
	Name: Zane Knight Age:28 Home:Danville, VA Occupation:Tire Repair Tribe:Matsing Fun Fact: Zane’s big pet peeve is sprinkles.
	Name: Angie Layton Age:20 Home:Provo, UT Occupation:Student Tribe:Matsing Fun Fact: Is a “mod bod” model for women who want more modest clothing. She was also Miss Utah Teen USA and was 3^rd runner up for Miss Teen USA.
	Name: Roxanne “Roxy” Morris Age:28 Home:Brooklyn, NY Occupation:Seminary Student Tribe:Matsing Fun Fact: Roxanne takes her Christianity very seriously, but she does not have a problem being deceptive in the game.
	Name: Denise Stapley Age:41 Home:Cedar Rapids, Iowa Occupation:Sex Therapist Tribe:Matsing Fun Fact: Denise is worried that the other women in the cast aren’t going to be able to deal with the harsh Philippines wilderness.

Don’t miss the premiere of “Survivor: Philippines” on Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at 8 p.m. ET.

Tags:jeff kent, jeft probst, Lisa Whelchel, survivor, survivor philippines
Posted in Fall TV Preview 2012, survivor, TV News | Comments Off on ‘Facts of Life’ Star, 2000 NL MVP Join the Cast of ‘Survivor: Philippines’

‘Survivor’ Summer Book Club – ‘Survivor: Vanuatu’ Episode 12

August 15, 2012

Image by @Survivor_BUFF

My Big Question: Back in 2008, Jeff Probst and I did a video segment called the “‘Survivor’ Question of the Week” where we’d debate the merits of a specific topic. One of those topics was, “Who was the least deserving winner in ‘Survivor’ history.” I chose Chris Daugherty because I felt like he was lucky that the female alliance fell apart when it did and I didn’t like how he misled people like Eliza before voting them out. The lying struck me as very unnecessary.

However, that was based on a four-year-old season I had watched before yapping about “Survivor” was my actual job. So for this rewatch, my main goal is to critique Chris’s performance to see if he deserved my worst-ever ranking.

And with that, let’s get back into this mess…