Jeff Probst blogs 'Survivor: Tocantins': episode 1
Feb 13, 2009, 08:00 AM | by Jeff Probst

Mark my words. Survivor: Tocantins will go down as one of your favorite Survivor seasons. I know I've said that about other seasons in the past and check the records, haven't I usually been right? Some seasons I'm not sure how the audience will react, so I say nothing, but when I'm sure, I scream it.

This is me screaming: YES! YES! YES! Say it with me. YES! YES! YES! Yes is my new favorite word. Life is so much more fun when you just let go of your fears and say ''YES'' to whatever. Don't believe me? Try it. Today, just say ''YES'' to everything that comes your way. Let me know how it goes.

Okay, so to episode one. Well, here's something I was dead wrong about. I never thought Carolina would be first out. In fact, I thought she could go a long way. I was way off on that one. Too bad, we always seem to lose a cute girl early. What is wrong with these people? Don't they realize this is their show? They should get rid of the ugly and boring people and keep the attractive and entertaining ones. Like Sydney. Please don't turn around and vote out Sydney next week. Carolina may not have understood how to play Survivor but I'm sure there are a few fans already missing her. Whatever. I get paid either way.

While we're here, let's start the blindside tally. That's the first of what will be a record-setting season of blindsides.

I loved our opening twist. We on the Survivor creative team were all rather proud when we stumbled upon the simple but effective notion of ''first impressions'' as an episode 1 twist. In fact, if I remember correctly, we all downed a case of Brazilian beer as a toast to ourselves. The twist worked and it plays out for quite a while.

Sandy and Sierra are clearly still in trouble as a result of the first impression vote, but you have to admit, it's amazing that neither of them were the first person voted out, all things considered. I think Sandy took a risky approach – clearly selfish and probably based on the fact that she feels a bit ''odd woman out'' due to age. Sierra impressed me with her desire to instantly try to win back favor on her tribe by working hard on the shelter. I think it worked. Hard work and the ability to say... ''YES''... can get you a long way in life. I bet Sierra wins the whole thing! Ka-ching! Either that or she'll fall in love with a Survivor producer and make cute little Survivor babies. I still get paid either way.

''And now here's something we think you'll really enjoy!'' (Can anyone name that cartoon character?) We have something very special for you fans this season, it's a new Survivor philosophy, you might even call it a religion of sorts. IT goes by the name Coach. Stay open to IT. Stay open to Coach. Beautiful things may emerge if you just open your arms and accept what Coach can offer you. Salvation? I doubt it. Great laughs? Absolutely. Coach is a star. He was meant to be on Survivor. I only wish we could clone him. I'm already pushing CBS to do another All-Star season just so we can have him back. Plus, my friend Serena already likes Coach, so there's that.

We have so many great characters this season. I'd list some of them but that would just irritate the ones I left off. Oh who cares, like I said, I get paid either way. Okay, in no particular order: Tyson, J.T., Steven, Sierra, Brendan, Taj, Sandy, Debbie, Spencer, Erinn. Yes I know you are already wondering if that means these people last a long time. Guess you'll have to watch to find out...and maybe I left one or two off the list just to throw you off. Maybe. You never know. Especially when I write this blog late at night, I get lippy and sometimes I just say things that simply aren't true.

And let's just get this out of the way, for all the Survivor: Tocantins participants, don't take these blogs too seriously. I only mean half of what I say. The other half of what I feel, I never share at all. It's all just fun. I love you all equally. But mostly Coach.

Next week, Exile Island comes into play. Cue Probst dramatic voice: ''This year, we have the most desolate and unforgiving Exile Island ever.'' Okay, I've said that before too, but this time it really is! You'll see.

Plus, there is a twist on Exile that creates some interesting reality...I won't spoil it, but if only we had thought of this idea a few seasons ago, we'd be crushing American Idol in the ratings. Oh relax, Seacrest, I'm kidding. You guys are still the king. Whatever. Blah, blah, blah. I still get paid...just not nearly as much as you, Ryan. That does bother me a little bit. I'll admit it. I mean I don't do Survivor for the money, but when I see Ryan's house I do get a bit envious. It's a pretty cool house. Then again, he's a cool dude, so I just say ''YES'' and move on with my still glorious life.

It's 2 a.m. as I'm writing this and honestly these blogs are a bit like therapy for me, only $150 an hour cheaper. So far I've saved $50.

Okay is that enough for this first episode blog? Serena says, ''Yes, baby, it's enough already. Come to bed, it's late.'' Ah the imagination. It's a terrible thing to waste.

So be it. To bed I go. Talk next week

Jeff Probst blogs 'Survivor: Tocantins': episode 2
Feb 20, 2009, 08:05 AM | by Jeff Probst

First things first. Did you see our ratings? We went up from last year's premiere! That doesn't happen. Television ratings are crumbling all around us as the networks scramble to figure out how to combat DVR's, kids watching on computers, and iPhones and the like. So when something like this happens to a show in its 18th season, it's big news! And it's all because of you — our loyal viewers. So on behalf of the entire crew and CBS, I say thank you for your amazing support.

Okay, on to the episode. I gotta mention it. Another blindside. We're 2 for 2 and I love it. Candace never saw it coming. I hated losing Candace. She was bound to provide lots of spark around camp. But Candace, you picked a fight with the wrong guy....

You picked on Coach! Nobody picks on Coach. He's a symphony conductor for crying out loud. He's a maestro! You don't mess with maestros! They're known for their Scorpio-like ''get even'' mentality. You stung him and he stung you back. Torch snuff. Bye-bye. Just like that, Candace is out.

I am imagining Candace reading this right now and she is either...smiling and laughing along with me or...she is calling lovely Corinne from last season and asking her for the address of my house and instructions on how to light a Molotov cocktail. Ah, what the heck, go for it. I'm insured.

I love it when the Survivors eat grubs. It takes me back to Season 1 when we had a challenge in which they had to race to eat grubs and Gervase couldn't get his down. Ah yes, season 1. The good ole days. Back when I wore those silly safari clothes and said really corny things like ''fire represents life.'' Thank goodness those days are gone. Boy, was I a loser. I'm so much cooler now. Whew.

I have a question – do you think that Taj revealed she was the wife of Eddie George because she believes that honesty is the best policy? Or do you think she absolutely loves telling people ''I'm married to Eddie George, Heisman trophy winner at Ohio State and former NFL football star!'' I'm guessing the latter. But to be honest, I'd brag, too, if I was married to Eddie George. Heck, I'd pull a Heidi Klum and tattoo Eddie's name on my forearm. Yes, Heidi has a tattoo of her husband's name, ''Seal,'' on her forearm. That beautiful supermodel forearm with a huge tat of the word ''Seal.'' It's there. I know. I saw it. Yep. I've seen Heidi's naked forearm. Lots of times, in fact.

The problem with Taj's revelation is that you give people a reason to vote you out. Taj just shouted at the top of her lungs – ''I don't need the money! I'm already rich!!!'' That could be costly.

How great was that challenge? It was physical, it was in the water (which means bikini's), and...it was pouring rain! I mean it was dumping! Here's a fact I've never admitted before. I secretly pray for rain every time we do a challenge. I love it when it rains. Not just because it turns me on a little bit, but also because it adds so much to the look and play of a Survivor challenge. It amps up the drama, it makes the shots look that much ''cooler,'' and like I said, I just like being wet. Anytime it's raining, just know that I'm happy...and yes, a bit turned on. Is that wrong? Or weird? I recently had to take a required sexual harassment course and I'm pretty sure merely writing that last sentence constitutes sexual harassment on some level. Sorry if I've offended.

A lot of people ask me, ''Why do you only do one challenge in the early episodes?'' The reason is because we want to have more time in the show for you to get to know the personalities of our Survivors. We figure in episodes 1 and 2 we can build one big challenge, make it epic, and that will allow us a few more minutes in the show to focus on the Survivors. Question: Do you like that or would you prefer 2 challenges in every single episode?

Speaking of getting to know the Survivors — my two favorite people this week are:

From Timbira — Sierra. She's a fighter and I like that. Wouldn't that be weird if Sierra ended up married to a Survivor producer? How random would that be?

From Jalapao — J.T. He's a great leader and he's playing humble. But I don't buy it for a second. J.T. is a bona fide threat in this game.

It's only episode 2 and trust is already playing a big part in the game. It's what makes this game so difficult to play but so fun to watch...ultimately you have to trust someone in order to survive, but conversely you really can't trust anyone if you want to survive! So what do you do? You have to trust people who are untrustworthy, and then you have to cut them loose before they cut you loose. It's like learning Russian. Very complicated.

One of my favorite moments of the episode was the ''fire pit'' cover-up. It was a great lie. Quick thinking. I absolutely love those kinds of moments. The key to it all was Debbie. All you need is one person to validate your lie and you're set, and let's face it, you can't get better than a middle school principal to endorse your lie! Debbie bought it hook, line, and sinker, and she was no doubt watching tonight's episode and laughing herself silly. Debbie has a pretty good sense of humor.

I would love to know why Brendan chose Taj. I would have never guessed that and never dreamed he would share the Exile information with her. But it was an interesting move and now we have the potential for an alliance that could wreak havoc later in the game.

The other relationship I am starting to enjoy is that of J.T. and Stephen. They couldn't be more opposite and yet they seem to be clicking fairly well.

Okay, time for me to go to bed.

Hang in there with me on these blogs. It's been a very busy past few weeks for me, and so I haven't had as much time for these blogs as I'd like. But I'm committed to posting something every week, so I just ask for a bit of understanding if they're not always everything you want them to be!!!

Talk next week!

Jeff Probst blogs 'Survivor: Tocantins' (episode 3)
Feb 27, 2009, 07:32 AM | by Jeff Probst
Ah, poor Jerry. We all had such high hopes for him. This is an example of just bad luck. Jerry was a trooper and I think would have probably done a pretty good job of just hanging out in the middle of the pack allowing him to get deep in the game. Not sure if Jerry had enough killer instinct to win but would have loved to have seen him last a bit longer 'cause he was a good one.

The only person happy that Jerry is gone...? Erinn. She was very close to going home. Erinn needs to continue to recover or her name will come up again and again.

What can you say about the reward challenge other than this...blindfolds always work. In the bedroom and on Survivor. They always come through. So long as it’s consensual, blindfolds typically equal good times. Show of hands, how many people have used blindfolds at some point in their life? And...? Good results? (Right about now is the time a third of you will begin to write your comments to me complaining that I am too provocative. Save the carpal tunnel, it only encourages me.)

The reward challenge was a blow out. Not sure why I enjoyed seeing Timbira lose, but I did. They were so cocky, and Jalapao just came in and got it done. They’re the underdogs at this point and I always secretly root for the underdogs. But as we Survivor fans know... underdogs can quickly become cocky and then they become villains and then you root against them!

As evidence of how bad the crew living conditions were in Brazil, even I got envious at the Jalapao reward. Umbrella, chairs, hammock! I would have loved to have a large umbrella outside my little four-walled tent. I often feel that way about the food rewards, too. When the Survivors win something like cheeseburgers, trust me the entire crew is salivating. We don’t get cheeseburgers on location. We don’t get big thick pizzas or large chocolate cakes either. We do get beer. Thank goodness our crew loves their beer. It’s the only thing that keeps most of us from ending up in an insane asylum. Most of us.

This week's observation about Sierra: Sierra is like an annoying little sister that you constantly complain about but secretly love having around because there is just something about her you’d miss if she was gone. Timbira will miss Sierra if they get rid of her. She’s worth keeping even though she is annoying. Imagine living with Sierra. Oy vey.

Okay time for a moment:

Ext. Brazilian River - Day
Coach stares into the water...contemplating.
Tyson spits something, maybe a seed. It makes a small splash.
Coach mumbles something insightful. It’s not a question. It’s a command. He’s Coach after all.
Then...
Coach (to Tyson): You’re like my assistant coach.

“You’re like my assistant coach.” Ah, thank you, reality gods. Beautiful. One of my favorite moments of the season. Coach laid out the perfect spiral pass and Tyson gently cradled it into his arms. For very different reasons, both these guys are solid gold.

Coach is without question one of the greatest Survivor characters ever. What’s your take on Coach? Love him? Love to hate him? Or just plain hate him? For the record Serena’s advice to Coach, “Just relax. Stop trying so hard. Just be yourself.” To which I reply, “He IS being himself! That’s what makes him so brilliant!

And then as if that wasn’t enough, another moment so good it’s as though it was scripted:

Ext. Jalapao Camp – Day

Spencer, young and single, lies on his side trying to sleep. Sandy, considerably older and also single, snuggles up next to him. Uncomfortably close. Hands searching. Surprisingly Spencer doesn’t seem to mind. Sandy musses her hair with a sexy toss of the hand.

Sandy: I know I’m a sex kitten.

Whoa. That made me incredibly uncomfortable. I had to stop the TIVO and rewind it. No offense, Sandy, (although as my friend Lopez says, whenever you say that, you actually mean the opposite) but that was just plain uncomfortable and in some states probably illegal. Is Spencer even 18 years old?

J.T. and Steven fishing together. It’s a bit like A River Runs Through It. Nice. I like it. But is it just me or do you get the idea that J.T. is the kind of guy who if you so much as looked at his girlfriend in a bar, he’d break your nose and then finish your beer. He seems very pleasant but I’m guessing that he’s broken a few noses.

And finally, the quote of the day:

Tyson: I love seeing people cry when you crush their dreams.

See ya next week!

Wow...sounds like Jeff has a little man crush going on for Coach :lovestruck:

Jeff Probst blogs 'Survivor: Tocantins': episode 4
Mar 6, 2009, 07:48 AM | by Jeff Probst

"Iron sharpens iron." Now that is a great line. Tell me...tell me! Where else on television can you find that kind of writing? Nowhere, I say. Nowhere. Only on Survivor: Tocantins...starring Coach!

Coach is not gold. Coach is platinum. Remember when you were a kid and you'd wake up irritated that you had to go to school, and then you realized...wait a minute, it's Saturday, I don't have to go anywhere. It was such a satisfying feeling. Well, that's the feeling I get every time I see or hear Coach on our show.

On any other season Tyson would be the guy I was raving about, but I just can't say enough about Coach. It's like being any other great golfer when Tiger Woods is playing.

I know you guys like insight, so here's a little Insight: Right now every other contestant on this season is reading this blog and they are sooooo mad at me for continuing to talk about Coach, the least liked person on the show. They want me to talk about them. Erinn wants me to talk about her incredible sex appeal. Brendan wants me to talk about how smart he was for creating "Bare Naked Granola" and making millions (yep he did). Taj wants me to talk about how good she looks...for her age...(ha, sorry Taj). Stephen wishes I would comment on his enormous brain. And Sierra – oh well, you get my point. All I can say to that is, sorry. Not my problem. As an audience member I just think Coach is hilarious.

Further evidence to support my point: "When you look at me and you look at Brendan, who looks stronger? I do." I mean, come on! In the words of Vince Vaughn, "Coach, you're so money."

I'm telling you right now that if they hadn't already signed their rights away to be on Survivor, I'd march Coach, Tyson and Sierra into CBS and sell the first hybrid sitcom/reality show...and you would all watch.

Taj is growing on me. Wasn't so sure about her the first few days but she's growing on me. Don't get me wrong, she can still be a pain in the ass, but I like her. I also want to stay on the good side of Eddie George.

"I might have just stumbled backwards into a huge alliance." Oh yes, you did, Stephen. A huge alliance. Keep an eye on that one. Stephen is great at playing the "one step behind bumbling goofball." Dude is wicked smart.

The reward challenge is one of my all time favorites. We haven't done this in a while. We did it in season 2 in Australia with Colby and Michael. We did it in Pearl Islands with Rupert and Andrew Savage (who got robbed when we did the Outcasts). This season J.T. was a workhorse, tying the record that Rupert set at 220 lbs. But ultimately it came down Debbie and Taj who were very impressive. In the end, Taj put those beautiful broad shoulders to work and pulled it out for Jalapao.

Insight: Mark Burnett absolutely hates it when contestants from opposite tribes congratulate each other after a challenge. Typically I do my best to make sure this doesn't happen but when Taj went over to hug Debbie at the end of the reward challenge it just felt right to let them do it. Fortunately Mark wasn't on location so he couldn't get mad at me, and he probably won't read this blog so he can't get mad that I'm sharing one of his pet peeves. And let's be honest, when you have a house in Malibu you really aren't entitled to any pet peeves anymore anyway.

J.T. is a major threat to win this game. Way too likable, way too smart, way too physical.

Tyson: "It felt a little weird having...those two... guys from the other tribe come over...in the back of your mind you're thinking...I wanna punch these guys in the head." Okay, Tyson, you have earned your way into the full on Gold category. If we do an all-stars, you definitely get my vote. 100%.

Sandy: (referring to Sydney) "If they're gonna be voting you off, you better be pulling off more than a bra. You better be pulling off some panties or somethun."

You have got to be kidding me. Who says that? Sandy, step on up, you too are now part of the Gold family and we are so happy to have you!

While we're at it, it's time to give Sierra some well-deserved credit. Not only is she still in the game, but she is now locked into an alliance that has the potential to go all the way.

It's also time to give our challenge department some props. The immunity challenge was pretty damn ingenious. A three-sided puzzle with multiple possibilities to confuse the tribes but only one correct phrase. You try coming up with something like that. Our guys are really good.

Tribal Council was so fun! I love it when we get into some good juicy stuff! Let's address the elephant in the room: Sydney is absolutely beautiful. I'm not sure that it comes across on screen like it does in person but.... INSIGHT: The crew referred to her as Helen of Troy because literally everybody would stop their work when she walked into a challenge or tribal council. It's true. Now, Taj is a beautiful woman as well, but she's married and she's older so she's not going to get the same attention as Sydney. That definitely caused some friction. How could it not? Taj sees that someone like Sydney could go deep in the game simply by giving backrubs and staying out of the way. And as for flirting – I wouldn't say Sydney was that big of a flirt. The truth about men and women is that all it takes for a man to think a woman is interested in him is for her to say "hi." I don't know if Sydney has a boyfriend back home or not, but if so, he needn't worry. She wasn't "pulling down some panties or somethun."

Okay. Finally, we must lay to rest...crazy ole Sandy. I gotta say, I don't know that I agree with Sandy's logic but for a kooky lady she's not as dumb as she sounds. She is annoying though. Let's be clear. She was annoying. What makes her likable is she can't help that she's annoying. She doesn't mean to be. She's just being herself.

Sandy, I'm sooooooo sorry you are gone. Man, oh man. Such a loss. You were a delight to have on the show and I know I called you annoying but it doesn't mean I don't have mad love for you.

Last words — U2 has been on Letterman all week and they are tearing it up. Talk to ya next week.
Link

I'm really over hearing about how wonderful Coach is

Wow...this goes beyond a man crush....

Jeff Probst blogs 'Survivor: Tocantins': episode 5
Mar 13, 2009, 06:04 AM | by Jeff Probst

Okay, I'm done talking about Coach. For now anyway, let's turn our attention to Stephen and one of my favorite quotes of this episode:

Ext. Camp – Day
Stephen scratches the back of Taj.

Stephen: "I've never brought such pleasure to a woman before."

Did this comment catch anyone's ear? I have a few explanations for this comment:
a. Stephen is gay, not that there's anything wrong with that
b. Stephen is straight but has limited experience with women
c. Stephen is going for broke and playing this game full on

I vote for C. I think Stephen is one of the most sophisticated and subtle players in the game. He is letting people believe that he's the quiet, "one beat behind" city kid just happy to not have bugs crawling up his arse. Who knows, he may be gay and/or he may have limited experience with women, but that is irrelevant. This guy could go deep.

Word on the street: People like Taj and I can see why. She's coming across as a likable, hard working, and industrious player. But boy did she make a potential million- dollar mistake when she gave the idol to Stephen.

Let me answer your question before you ask it...Stephen is absolutely correct that at this moment, the idol belongs to him. Case closed.

INSIGHT: Within the rules of Survivor, Taj has absolutely zero claim to the idol. If you give the idol to someone for "safe keeping" you better trust them because the person who possesses it owns it. Period. The only exception is theft –you cannot steal the idol from someone.

So the moment Taj handed that idol to Stephen she gave away the single most powerful thing in the game and trust me, Stephen is aware of this stroke of luck. Even if she had put conditions on it, such as "you have to give it to me if I need it" – doesn't matter. Remember Dreams and Yau-Man and the car negotiation for a vote that never materialized. Same thing. A Survivor agreement is only as good as the word of the person on the other end of the negotiation.

Man, oh man I love how easily Sierra can improv a lie...on the spot. She asked Deb for the most valuable information, "is everyone with you?" Deb's response gave Sierra an open door to talk freely with Brendan. What's wrong with you people?!! Have you not watched Survivor before? You don't leave people alone to strategize. It's like watching a horror movie when the sexy woman goes back in the house and you yell at the screen, "Haven't you watched horror movies!!!? You never go back in the house!" Dumb. Just plain dumb.

Drumroll please...not only is this my favorite quote from this episode, it tops anything Coach has said thus far:

Ext. Charmin Café – Day
The tribe enjoys their coffee and pastries. J.T. gets up to stretch and finds a collection of envelopes sitting in a hammock. Excitement breaks out as the Survivors scream to one another:
Sydney: Oh cool, what is it!!!?
J.T.: I don't know what it is.
Joe: Is it a menu?
(Beat)
Taj: Is it a gift certificate?!!!

"Is it a gift certificate?" "Is it...a...gift certificate." When I saw the first cut of this episode I must have watched that moment twenty times and I giggled myself silly every single time. Yeah Taj, it's a Survivor gift certificate. Good for use at your local Survivor store where you can buy anything your imagination can dream up! It's only good for one year so be sure to use it soon. Restrictions apply, consult the back of your gift certificate for full details.

There's nothing wrong with Taj's comment. It wasn't mean. It didn't hurt anyone. She wasn't being selfish. What I find so fascinating about Taj's comment is what it reveals. Nestled there in the jungle with her coffee and donut, Taj felt safe enough to let her guard down just for a moment and in doing so revealed so much about her life back home. Clearly, Taj loves her gift certificates and when that is the first thought that comes to your mind you obviously get them quite often. Evidently Eddie is very good to Taj.

And while we're at it, let me just address those of you who will write something along the lines of "how can these idiots get so emotional over a damn letter from home? It's not like they've been gone that long anyway."

Well the logical answer to that question goes like this: If a "thing," any "thing," continues to happen season after season, from one group of Survivors to another then there is probably something to it. Kinda like when you water a plant and it always seems to grow. Okay, that analogy sucked, but you guys know my analogies suck and you get what I'm saying anyway. Moving on.

I know I said I wouldn't talk about Coach but I have to address his ability to predict the weather. It was shaman-like. Spooky. Dude is gifted. Touched. In the head perhaps, but touched.

J.T. was an animal in the reward challenge. He nearly singlehandedly won that challenge for Jalapao. He just needed a little bit of support from anyone else on his tribe but he didn't get it.

Now to the tooth issue. Here's what happened: He didn't lose his entire tooth. He only lost half of his tooth. Not so bad, right? It was as if you shaved the top layer off, so he still had a tooth in his gum, it was just half as thick as normal. J.T. is one tough dude. J.T. reminds me how tough I'm not. I'm not sure where it all went wrong....I was born in Kansas, that's "tough guy" country, but damnit, if I lost half a tooth I would have milked that like a Holstein.

INSIGHT: After the challenge, you saw me give J.T. the tooth. He then took it back to camp but decided he didn't want it. Had no use for it. Didn't care that the rest of his tooth might fall out. "I'm a cowboy. I don't need my teeth anyway. " Okay he didn't actually say that but he might as well have. He gave it to medical and they gave it back to me and I now have it in my house. It's in a plastic bag and I will bring it with me to the live show in case he's changed his mind. Otherwise I will sell it to the highest bidder, so start saving your pennies.

Taj – I like seeing Taj get mad for no other reason than I just enjoy it. She's fun when she's mad. Was it a good move? Absolutely not. Fun to watch? Oh yeah. You know that woman can go off on people!! I would not want to be on the other end of Taj getting mad, like say, for instance, if you forgot to give her a gift certificate or something.

Finally – Spencer. I dig Spencer. I like how he carried himself in the game. He was much younger than most everyone else in this game, he was a huge Survivor fan, and he was endlessly enthusiastic. Maybe that's what did him in. I wish he had lasted longer because I know how badly he wanted to play this game.

INSIGHT: Spencer was an alternate this season. We don't even usually bring alternates, but this season our casting director, Lynne Spillman, just had a hunch we might need one so she insisted we bring Spencer, "just in case." It was the night before we were set to begin and it didn't look good for Spencer making the show. He was really bummed. We tried to keep his spirits up by reminding him that there was still a chance that he could be a part of next season.

Then in a strange Survivor twist of fate, one of our contestants did not pass the mandatory final physical exam. He would be unable to participate and we had an opening. Dave Burris (Exec Producer) Dr. Liza, (show psychologist) and I went over to share the news with Spencer. We decided to have a little fun with him knowing that ultimately we had good news to present. We pulled him aside from everyone else and with very sad faces said, "Spencer...about next season...it's not gonna work out." This put an end to the last glimmer of hope Spencer thought he had of being on Survivor. We let the sadness hang for only a moment before continuing, "...because you're on this season!!" He erupted in joy to the point where we had to quiet him down so the other contestants wouldn't hear him and figure out he had been an alternate all along. It was one of the most enjoyable moments in the history of my time on Survivor because he was so excited.

So long Spencer, it was short but hopefully it quenched your Survivor thirst.

OKAY LISTEN UP: Because of NCAA basketball on CBS, our schedule will change a bit over the next 3 weeks. Here it is:

March 19 (next week): We are NOT on at all! (Bummmmer, I know.)

March 25: We are on WEDNESDAY NIGHT with a really cool "never before scenes" special. There are some great scenes that will crack you up, including Coach conducting. It's really good stuff. I know a lot of you guys hate this episode so we worked especially hard to make it rock! One of our best producers Daren sweated night and day for weeks to find stuff worthy of your time. Give it a shot if you're around.

Thursday, April 2: WE ARE BACK! I've just seen the episode. It's fantastic. You're gonna love the rest of this season.

Later dudes.

Link to article

Jeff Probst blogs 'Survivor: Tocantins' (episode 6)
Apr 3, 2009, 08:59 AM | by Jeff Probst

Okay, first let me address Survivor not being on the air during the NCAA Basketball tournament. On behalf of our entire crew I'd like to say…"We hate being interrupted!! We feel your pain. We have absolutely no say. It's a network decision and college hoops are big business, so that's that.

Moving on….

I'm gonna start with Coach. Tonight Coach got to me. Coach has a hard time accepting any kind of blame yet he is always the first to blame others. Tonight, had I been on his tribe, Coach would have irritated me to the point of me saying something that I would no doubt later regret.

Like, "Coach, shut up." Or, "Coach, kiss my ass." Or some other unprintable but quite colorful fifth-grade schoolyard verbal laceration.

Coach is also a martyr. Whoa, I thought my mom had that market cornered. Move over Barbara, Coach wants the throne. When they lose half a pot of their beans, it's a big damn deal. There isn't a craft services counter just around the corner with Red Vines and donuts. But Coach can't just say, "my bad" and get on with it. When Coach says he'll take full blame he doesn't mean it for one second.

Nonetheless, Coach once again wins the quote of the night:

Coach: "I probably won't make a second pot…for my beans."

I know many of you hate that I love Coach, but you gotta admit that was a funny line. And hey, for at least one week maybe we can all come together and hate Coach equally. Okay, I'm done with that.

SMART PLAYER UPDATE:
Brendan is now my pick as the smartest player left in the game. Brendan is one smart dude. Brendan could win. Brendan's fate will come down to how he fares with Coach 'cause Coach wants him gone. Beware granola boy…the Dragon Slayer lurks….

Tyson is also a very smart player. He's trying to hover in the middle and stay out of the way. It's a good overall strategy but not for him. He's too much of a threat. He needs to make a big move very soon and try to take this game over or he'll get his throat cut.

J.T. is smart and certainly playing a very different game under the heading of "good ole country boy" but he almost blew it tonight. Voting out Taj would have been a huge mistake. You do not vote out someone from your alliance this early in the game. I now have to knock him down a couple of pegs. That was almost a fatal mistake.

Stephen is right there too, playing his own version of "Who me? I'm just happy to be here." The jury is still out on exactly how shrewd he is, but one thing is clear…Stephen is a lousy liar. That conversation with J.T. about the immunity idol was uncomfortable to watch.

Taj is second tier smart. I know that reading this will irritate her but it's how I feel. She's very good, but she will only win if the others destroy themselves. And Taj, are you out of your mind giving up the idol? Of course you are. You are out of your mind woman. I am 99% certain that your man Eddie George was on the couch tonight saying, "You did what, baby?!!" That was a big time mistake and you better find a way to get that idol back A.S.A.P., 'cause your alliance partners are just dumb enough to vote you out.

In case you were wondering, yes, those pigs were ceramic and yes, they hurt when you caught them.

Damn, Joe's knee. Whoa. That is ugly. Could anyone still doubt this game is for real? Just look at that little tiny nick and how bad it has gotten in just 72 hours. Joe is a hurtin' dude right now. I felt for him so much that it made it hard to laugh when he found the fake idol. I really like Joe. Joe likes Sydney. Sydney has a boyfriend. Joe has a bad knee and a fake idol and likes a girl who has a boyfriend. Joe is in trouble. He's on the outside of the alliance that he should be a part of. Poor Joe.

INSIGHT: At the end of the waterfall reward, you see a very big shot from high above looking down on the Survivors swimming in the water. That shot comes from our helicopter, which is standing by, ready for action 24/7. When a producer needs a shot, they call the chopper crew. Our helicopter cameraman, Mark Hyrma, and the helicopter pilot are up and spinning within 10 minutes. They communicate via walkie-talkie and within 20 minutes they have the shot and are heading back to base camp. This is a major luxury. It comes from Mark Burnett insisting from day one that this show have an epic look. The helicopter shot is a staple of Survivor and one of the many reasons the show looks so good season after season.

PERSONAL SHARING: Last weekend, I had dinner with Mark Burnett and his beautiful wife, Roma Downey. They invited some people over to their house and it was quite nice. Okay, reallllly nice. I mean the dude is quite successful, and Roma… anybody remember Touched By An Angel? Yeah, it was a little hit show that she starred in for over a decade, so they're doing fine and what's really cool is that they are good people. They're fun to be around. They know how to throw a dinner party. In fact, they throw such a good dinner party that they even hired some musical entertainment for the night. But here's the best part…they hired a piano player and singer named Mike Darnell to entertain us all. Now to most of you that name might not mean anything, but to Hollywood industry folks, Mike Darnell is a HUGE name. Darnell runs FOX reality. He's the network head of American Idol and every other reality show on Fox. Talk about successful. Darnell is a major player in the entertainment world…and here he is playing piano at Burnett's for tips. He said he just really enjoys entertaining people, but I wonder if maybe he lost a bet or something. I can't tell you who else was there, but suffice it to say that I was the answer to the question, "Who in this room does not belong?" Oh, I almost forgot one last part to the story – I wrote this part of the story on Wednesday.

Okay, back to Survivor. Joe is a major flirt. First Sydney, now Erinn, and Erinn likes it. Did you see that hug on Exile? If there wasn't a camera, I think that hug had a chance to become a bit more intimate. Am I reading into it? What do you think?

NOTE TO ALL FUTURE SURVIVOR CONTESTANTS: We LOVE fake idols. We "decorate" your camps and tree mails in a way that there are always plenty of "items" you can use to get creative. So do it. It's so enjoyable to see somebody think they have the real idol when we all know they don't.

Finally we come to Tribal Council – you knew it was only a matter of time. Sydney is this season's beautiful blonde who no one will remember by the end of the show. I'm sorry, Sydney, just being honest. She was destined to leave early. I'm not sure why but it always goes this way; the beautiful blonde always leaves too soon. We loved having you on the show and our crew HATED seeing you leave, but let's face it, you never really had a shot at winning so it's just as well before the bugs did too much damage.

I'm done. Talk next week everyone.

Um, I WILL indeed remember Sydney at the end of the show thank you very much.

Jeff Probst blogs 'Survivor: Tocantins' (episode 7)
Apr 10, 2009, 07:47 AM | by Pop Watch

I have to say, I really enjoyed tonight's episode. It was very different from your typical Survivor episode and maybe that's what I liked about it. I don't always like an episode dominated by strategy talk but tonight was an exception. Tonight, I loved the dizzying amount of strategizing.

There are so many alliances going on that for the first time in 18 seasons I am delightfully confused. I can barely keep track of them all. It doesn't take a very smart 5th grader to tell there are going to be a lot of blindsides coming up in the next few weeks. It's almost guaranteed with this many alliances, not all of them can hold up. Betrayal is coming. To win this season of Survivor you are going to have to play a fantastic mental game from here on out.

If you let your guard down for one moment or trust that anybody is telling you the truth, your odds for being out skyrocket.



Which brings me to Coach. He is one of the most naïve dragon slayers I've ever met. He took JT's handshake and promise of loyalty straight up without a chaser, no ice, just down the hatch. If he didn't have all the tattoos I would seriously wonder if Coach was a real dragon slayer. All the dragon slayers I've met are notoriously lacking in the trust department. It is part of the dragon slayer training. Even Wikipedia has a pretty extensive manual on dragon slaying and the third rule is "trust no one, slay every one."

Speaking of Coach's tattoos, they all look very new. The ink is very bright and colorful. I would think given all of his adventures and death defying escapades that the ink would be a bit faded if for no other reason than all of the wear and tear. QUESTION: Is it possible that he actually got most of the tats in anticipation of Survivor? I bet at least two of them are within the last six months. I'm giving 5-1 odds.

By the way - so many people got upset last week because I said Taj was 'second tier' smart. It had nothing to do with her being a woman, it had to do with the way she is playing the game. I think she is playing a bit passive and that's just my take. Remember, I'm just a reality show host,.. and yes, I get paid either way.

While I'm at it, let me share for those of you who don't read the comments that people make in response to this blog that last weeks collection of responses was the most negative ever! Record setting in veracity and volume. I actually printed out all of the comments and posted them on my refrigerator… and my oven...and my kitchen table...and then I moved to the living room...and finally the downstairs bedroom. The rest of them I took to the local recycling plant, which refused them due to excess weight.

PERSONAL INSIGHT: I hated the stupid "flashes of lightning" we added to Coach's meditative stretching at the top of the show. I don't like any of those cheap effects but clearly I was outvoted this time.

Anybody else wonder how JT still has a belly? I think it's getting bigger, too. Is that from the merge feast? That kid must have eaten a lot. It doesn't take a huge imagination to imagine JT at about 65 years old. Same ole swagger, bit of a grin as he sips on his third beer. He could easily be a sheriff of a small town. Or that guy who everybody knows because he can fix anything. He's the somewhat surly old man who doesn't say much, mostly just nods, which makes him even more mysterious, but when he does talk, the townspeople, they listen.

It's the same on Survivor. People seem to listen to JT. Dunno why exactly but he has an easy way about him and that charm is working very well. People who get other people to listen to them do very well in this game.

QUESTION: Why is everybody so turned off by Brendan? Are they jealous or just threatened? I like Brendan. I can see that he's a threat but everybody seems to have a lot of animosity toward him. I really don't get it.

Tyson is a blast to watch and I love his witty commentary… but Tyson hates everybody. I am so curious what is driving his hatred of Sierra. Doesn't he know, Sierra could end up married to a Survivor producer and then if there's another all-star season and Tyson is on it, he might have to deal with a producer who married Sierra and that could make him feel bad, requiring therapy and possibly acupuncture? Doesn't he think about stuff like that? Who doesn't think about stuff like that? It could happen.

I loved the immunity challenge. For my money, this is the perfect type of Survivor challenge. Very simple in concept but very difficult to execute. Hang on for as long as you can until you have to let go at which point prepare to lose most of your skin.

The best/worst moment of the night had to be Sierra sliding down the post. I still cringe thinking about how much skin scraped off as she caught every part of that pole on her way down. Sierra is a model and I'm guessing her day rate will be greatly diminished as a result of that challenge.

In case you are wondering, my reactions to those things are not fake, we don't come back and shoot them later – I really do make that kind of ridiculous face when I see things like that happen. Biggest drag of the night – losing Joe to an injury. You could tell from his reaction that Joe was in some serious pain. I can tell you from his comments to me after the docs gave him the news that he did not want to leave. He was very disappointed.

INSIGHT: Our medical team checks on the Survivors throughout the course of the show so it was not unusual for them to take a look at Joe. The rules of Survivor are very clear regarding injuries. You can stay in the game as long as you like, unless our doctors decide that an injury is life threatening, at which point our doctors can pull you from the game whether you want to go or not. That is what happened to Joe. Joe did not want to leave, we did not want Joe to leave. The doctors insisted he leave. There was nothing we could do about it. Just like when they took out Penner and James in Fans Vs. Favorites. The doctors have a big voice on Survivor when it comes to the health of the contestants and for good reason. We are in the middle of nowhere and if someone gets in trouble it is not a quick trip around the block to the nearest hospital. In Tocantins, we were several hours by car and nearly two hours by helicopter from the nearest hospital. They looked at his leg and decided the infection was too risky. He was evacuated and taken to hospital and he is doing fine. We have an amazing medical team. They not only take care of the Survivors but also our crew of over 400.

Last word of the night goes to Serena who absolutely hates Stephen. She thinks he is a "three-faced, lying, manipulative, scheming, back-stabber, follower!" To further quote Serena, "He probably started liking the Lakers when Shaq and Kobe won their three rings together." Clearly Serena likes her hoops as well. This is an assessment I agree with completely (except for the follower part) and is further evidence of why I refer to him as a very smart player, definitely first tier.

Goodnight.

--Jeff Probst