Survivor Tocantins | Hundreds attends ‘Survivor’ auditions in Tyler, Longview

Hundreds attends ‘Survivor’ auditions in Tyler, Longview

January 19th, 2009 | by cwalton |

Quoting from Hundreds attends ‘Survivor’ auditions in Tyler, Longview By ANDREW GOODRIDGE

Hundreds of East Texans lined up in Tyler and Longview for their chances to vote each other off the island on an upcoming season of TV’s popular prime time show, “Survivor.”

CBS 19 held open casting calls for “Survivor,” the reality show that strands 16 Americans in an exotic location and leaves them to fend for themselves. Each week, the contestants compete in challenges and then must vote a member out of the game. The series has been filmed in locations as diverse as Gabon, Guatemala and Thailand.

The 18th season of the show, which is set in Brazil, will premiere Feb. 12 on CBS. But Saturday’s casting call was part of a nationwide search for the 19th season’s contestants. Each applicant had to fill out a packet of information — with questions ranging from “Who is your hero?” to “If you could hold any political office, what would it be?” — and was allowed three minutes in front of a camera to make their pitch to “Survivor” producers. The application said producers are seeking people who are strong-willed, outgoing and adventurous.

Tyler resident and “Survivor”-hopeful Tonya Pittman said she’d be a great contestant because she’s “hardworking, independent and feisty.”

“I’ve been watching from season one, and I’ve always wanted to be on it, just for the fun and the adventure,” Pittman said. “And the money doesn’t hurt either.”

The winner of “Survivor” will take home a check for $1 million. However, some fans said the potential experience was a bigger motivator than the cash.

“I just want to go places. I want to travel. I want to be put in situations like that,” Griffin Blackburn, a student at Tyler Junior College, said. “I don’t really care about the money. It would just be so much fun. How many people can say they’ve done something like that?”

Blackburn said there are “never any normal people” on reality shows, but, if selected, he plans to buck that trend.