Portland Press Herald
By ELBERT AULL, Portland Press Herald Staff Writer

Staff photo by Elbert Aull

Jeff Probst and Julie Berry of Gorham chat with other customers Tuesday outside the Target store in South Portland.

SOUTH PORTLAND - Some Mainers not only survived day-after-Christmas shopping, they also met a couple of “survivors” along the way.

Both the host and a former cast member of the reality television show “Survivor” were out shopping Tuesday. More… »

WZZM13.com By Mike Hughes, Lansing State Journal Staff Writer

So you’ve always wanted to be on “Survivor” or “The Amazing Race”? You soon will have an easy way to try out locally. The shows will gather audition tapes Jan. 4 and Jan. 5 in the Lansing Center.

“This will be their first time in Lansing ever,” said Ernie Hedberg of WLNS Channel 6, who is coordinating the event.

Lansing once had auditions for the “Weakest Link” game show, but usually local people have to travel to try out for reality shows. Some have succeeded. One former Michigan State University student Bob Guiney was the centerpiece of “The Bachelor; another Heidi Androl is one of the strongest figures in the new “The Apprentice,” which debuts Jan. 7.

There are several ways to get on the shows. People can apply to “Survivor” directly at cbs.com or can go to any of 13 audition spots.

The Lansing one, however, makes it convenient. Details are: More… »

kutv.com

In 2007 a new group of Americans will experience trials and tribulations as they are eliminated one by one from yet another SURVIVOR program. The Sole Survivor will win $1,000,000.

You can try out to be a contestant on the hit reality show at a local open casting call.

The Salt Lake City Survivor Casting Call will take place Friday, January 12th and Saturday, January 13th from 3-8pm at the Utah International Auto Expo located at the South Towne Expo Center 9575 South State Street in Sandy.

Download the application and bring it to the casting call.

Appleton Post-Crescent: Your Fox Cities News Source

LITTLE CHUTE — WFRV-TV Channel 5 will hold an open casting call for the CBS programs “Survivor” and “The Amazing Race” from 4 to 8 p.m. today at the 5th Quarter Sports Bar and Restaurant, 2101 American Drive.

People wishing to audition should visit www.wfrv.com or call 920-430-3621 to sign up for an audition time. More… »

Springfield Business Journal - Online Edition By Dee Dee Nilsen, Springfield Business Journal Staff

Ozarks Technical Community College will play host next month to an open casting call for the CBS show “Survivor.” More… »

Broadcasting & Cable

The three-hour season finale of Survivor including the reunion show put CBS in the first-place position in primetime on Sunday. The Eye network scored a 4.7 rating/12 share in the key 18-49 demo; Survivors three hours earned a 5.5/13.

Fox was in the No. 2 slot with its football overrun, The OT, and its lineup of comedies; the network scored a 4.4/11.

Close behind with a 4.3/11 was NBC for a night of football the Kansas City Chiefs versus the San Diego Chargers.

At No. 4 was ABC with a 3.6/9. Its highest-rated offering was the seasonal flick Santa Clause 2 5.1/12.

The CW earned an 0.6/2 for a rerun-heavy night; its only original show was Reba the networks highest-rated program of the night in the 7:30-8 slot.

The final vote was 4 for Ozzy and 5 for Yul in the 3 way final tribal council. Becky was also included in the final vote, but did not receive one vote. I was up late watching Survivor tonight, so this is a quick update. More to come later.

The first immunity challenge was the most difficult in 13 seasons. They had to gather puzzle pieces and complete the puzzle. Adam was a close second to Ozzy. If Adam had won, one of the Aitu 4 would have to go home, but since Adam lost, he went home at the next Tribal Council.

That leaves the Aitu 4 as the final 4, a proud achievement. The final immunity challenge is standing on a small platform that got smaller as time went on. Becky, then Yul fell off. Jeff made a point of saying that the platforms were proportional, something that didn’t happen last season. Sundra gave Ozzy a run, but finally fell off, letting Ozzy win, yet again. If he had lost, then he would have been voted off as the outsider. Since both he and Yul now had immunity, they decided to split the vote between the 2 girls and make it into a tie-breaker.

The tie-breaker was a fire building competition, as it has been in the past. The two girls worked and worked. No fire with the flints and knives after a half hour. Yawns were visible in the jury. After an hour with no fire (an hour!!!), Jeff said that we’ll go to matches. They both got a box of matches and tried that. After another half hour, there was still no fire. Sundra ran out of matches and Becky finally got it going. It was the funniest moment in Survivor history. Sundra goes home.

The final 3 were Yul, Ozzy, and Becky. The jury got to ask them questions. Jonathan had some good shots, as did Nate. They voted and it came down to a one vote difference, and Yul was the winner.

More images and more episode recap tomorrow.

Congratulations to Yul. The final 4 had no “white” people in it. Black, Yellow, and Brown. Well played. I think this has been one of the better seasons in recent memory.

See you in Fiji for Survivor 14!

Final show will be 2 hours long, starting at 8pm, with a Reunion Show for another hour at 10pm. There are 5 survivors left, Favorites Yul and Ozzy, Sundra and Becky, and the outcast from the other tribe, Adam. We will find out who will take home the $million at about 9:59pm.

Get your popcorn ready. This is going to come down to the wire. Yul has been the favorite to win, but Ozzy has made a strong showing recently, and not angered any of the jury members, so he could pull it out.

Check back here on Monday morning for the play by play as well as screen captures of the show.

courant.com

Allegiances are so well known among the jury that winning final competitions, traditionally based on patience and longevity, will be key to winning the $1 million finale of “Survivor: Cook Islands” CBS, Sunday, 8 p.m..

Its not until “Survivor: Cook Islands Reunion” CBS, Sunday, 10 p.m. that the participants will likely talk about the gimmick that started the season and long since fizzled, separating castaways by race.

Cao Boi hoofs it back to Survivor - Roanoke.com By Donna Alvis-Banks

The Christiansburg contestant will appear on the reality shows finale. He may not have won, but he was still “the star of the show.”

CHRISTIANSBURG — Well, he’s off to L.A.

Anh-Tuan “Cao Boi” Bui — the sixth and most colorful person voted off “Survivor: Cook Islands” — will once again appear on national television when the live “Survivor” finale airs Sunday at 8 p.m. on CBS.

And Bui will be just a bit more colorful than the last time viewers saw him. At a send-off celebration Thursday in Christiansburg, Bui sported a full-back tattoo of the Immunity Idol — the coveted “Survivor” prize that he tried and failed to win. More… »

You want to work on the show? This is what it’s like…

Surviving “Survivor:” Recording reality on Cook Island By Laura Kenyon

Hours after Nick Fager arrived in Guatemala last summer, he was coated in mud in 100-degree heat, struggling with all his might to thrust his new roommate off a seven-foot mountain of dirt.

After 15 minutes of grunts, close calls and balance-regaining spasms, the mud-caked 20-year-old successfully slung his opponent to the ground and claimed his kingdom.

It was his first day on the set of “Survivor: Guatemala — The Maya Empire,” and the fun was just beginning. More… »

TV.com By Colin Mahan -

Reality franchise down from last cycle, but still beats the stuffing out of The Office and a bunch of repeats.

CBSs reality show Survivor: Cook Islands took top honors for the night last night, but that may have been due to the fact the other nets were mainly showing repeats.
Survivor: Cook Islands

Last nights episode, the penultimate episode before Sundays season finale, scored a 14.5 million viewers and a 4.9 rating/13 share in the adults 18-49 demographic. Thats down 18 percent from last seasons average for Survivor: Palau. More… »

TV Week By James Hibberd

The penultimate episode of “Survivor” gave CBS a Thursday night ratings victory and the highest-rated “Survivor” episode of the season, while “The OC” rebounded a bit for Fox.

The CBS reality series earned a 5.0 in the national ratings among adults 18 to 49, according to Nielsen Media Research. Even with the rest of CBSs lineup full of repeats, that was enough to put the network well above closest competitor NBC, which continued to draw strength from its new comedy lineup.

NBC opened the night with a one-hour episode of “The Office” 3.9, down slightly from last weeks hour-long “My Name Is Earl.” “Scrubs” 3.8 and “30 Rock” 2.8 followed, and both were about average.

ABC came in third with a repeat-filled lineup, followed by Fox in fourth place. Fox had “Til Death” 1.9, which had its highest rating in four weeks, then “The War at Home” 1.8. At 9 p.m., “The OC” 2.0 continued to show growth following its weak debut and posted its best rating this season.

The CW was in fifth place with repeats.

Parvati Has Her Moment in The Hot Tub, Then Goes Home

Reward challenge
Princess Partvati and Adumb talk about winning and staying strong and blah, blah, blah. Thanks, Captian Obvious. The reward challenge has to do with mud. They have to run over to a mud pit and cover themselves in mud, then run back and squish off as much as possible into a bucket. The one with the most mud in their bucket after 10 minutes, wins. The top three finishers get a trip to a spa with massages, food, and a hot tub.

Of course, Ozzy is first into the mud. Yul tries carrying it on his back. They can use their arms or the hands to carry it. Eventually, Ozzy uses his head. This whole challenge makse for some pretty funny photos. Check them out on the screen capture page. Parvati never gets her face dirty. She always has to look good. Oh, and what part of her body does she use? The asset she has, her chest. Jeff calls it “bad performance art”.

Ozzy has his bucket filled at 45lbs, while the next the next in line are Prvati at 24lbs., Adumb at 22lbs., Sundra at 22lbs. and Becky at 22lbs. also. Yul brings up the rear with 22 and a half to blow out Adumb. Ozzy picks Adumb to go to Exile Island.Sundra and Becky go back to camp, alone, to relax and worry about Ozzy winning everything. It begins to rain.

Parvati, Yul, and Ozzy fly to their spa. They put plastic over the seats while they are covered in mud. They shower, get massages, and eat. The lights go out and they light candles to see the native dancers give them a show. Adumb is out on Exile Island all alone and it rains on him too. He’s miserable. Then Parvati tries to use the only talent she has. They all get naked in the hot tub and she flirts as hard as she can. She says that she has the advantage because it’s 2 guys to a girl. That’s the only advantage that she has for the whole game.

The Immunity Challenge
Becky tells Yul that she’s worried about Ozzy being too strong. They are all worried that Pzzy was flirting with Ozzy. The challenge is taking some boards across balance beams and jumping off the other end. When you get all 4 bundles of boards across, assemble them into a maze. Roll a ball through the maze and drop it into each of the corner holes. You must do this twice to get one in each hole. Who is the first across? Ozzy. Who is the first to get all of them across? Ozzy. Who is the first to finish and win immunity? Ozzy. Is this getting boring yet, folks?

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Princess Partvati cuts her finger to start this week’s show. The medical team show up and gives her a stitch. “Right here??!!” she says. She’s fine, after the anesthesia takes effect.

Reward challenge
The challenge is to take a small bucket to transfer water from the ocean into a larger bucket that will raise a flag when it gets full enough. The twist? They play with their loved ones. Jonathan and his wife (somebody loves him anyway…) Parvati and her dad, the guy who named her “Parvati”. Adam and his twin, I mean, his dad. They both have the same goofy grin. Becky and her sister. Becky tells her not to cry. Yul and his brother Paul. Ozzy sees his mom. Ahhhh…. Sundra cries like a baby to see her mom.

They are terrible at throwing the water and catching it. Jonathan’s wife starts wringing out her shirt and they pull ahead. Half the loved ones get soaked. Parvati has a pretty good aim and they barely pull ahead and win. She sends Jonathan to Exile Island with no hesitation. He kisses his wive and leaves immediately. 2 other survivors and loved ones are going on the reward. Her dad chooses, with no direction from her, Adam and Sundra.

After some time in camp together, they leave for the reward, a trip to a sacred cave, followed by a feast. Back at camp, Ozzy and Yul decide to hide food so the others won’t get strong. When they others bring food back for them, that plan falls a part. Sundras gets to be friends with Adam and Parvati. When they get back to camp, Jonatahn is the only one not there and they have food. They are calm and comfortable, and they notice that Jonthan’s not there to add stress.

See the next post for more images.

The Immunity Challenge
Jonatahn comes back for the immunity challenge. No one speaks to him. They have to go out across a bunch of things floating in the water, swim out to get some sticks, and come back across the floating things. When they have done that twice, they tie the sticks together and make one long one to move rings off a hook and on to another hook. Did I mention swimming? Guess who wins this one. Sundra takes a fall. Other people fall. It’s painful to watch, but Ozzy just nails it and wins.

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E News by Natalie Finn

There was danger of an audience revolt this season when Survivor segregated its tribes. Not until now, however, did the hit CBS show have to deal with a full-on coup.

But luckily for the pioneering reality series, a military coup in Fiji has not affected production on Survivors 14th season, producers said Tuesday.

On Monday, soldiers bloodlessly took control of police headquarters in the Fijian capital of Suva, on the island of Viti Levu, claiming that Prime Minister Laisenia Qarases government is corrupt. Police were locked out of their building, but no shots were fired. Fijis military commander announced Tuesday that he had assumed control of the country and that the prime minister has been confined to his home. The U.S. State Department then temporarily suspended aid to the country after condemning the militarys actions.

Survivor is being filmed on Vanua Levu, Fijis second-largest island and a 30-minute flight away from Viti Levu. More… »

Jonathan is the target of anger after he flipped the night before. He tells Candice that “If it wasn’t going to be me tonight, it was going to be you. I had a 100% chance of going home tonight or a 50% chance of going home the next time”. She says she understands, but she’s lying. Aitu had a hard time keeping a straight face when they voted Nate off. They were giddy like school girls. Parvati says she was “nauseous, like I wanted to throw up”. She doesn’t mention that she would have done the same thing if she had a chance. Jonathan tells them that Yul has the idol, but of course, they don’t believe him. “I think that he’s a filthy, miserable rat” says sweet Princess Partvati.

Parvati, after 28 days on the island, wants to know how to clean a fish. She’s had all of her food delivered to her, so she’s never had to work for food. Jonathan points this out to the others when he tells them that he loves playing with Aitu. He calls the other tribe “a clown house”. This comment is played over a shot of Candice, then Adam’s big, dumb smile, then Parvati’s horsey grin.

Reward challenge
It’s the auction. They each get $500 and can bid on whatever they want until the auction is over without notice. They can borrow cash, but not share food. The first item is under a cover and Jonathan bids $20. “Oh, we don’t what it is!” exclaims the brilliant Parvati. Jonathan buys a hot dog, fries, and an ice cold beer for $100. Of course, he spills $20 worth of beer sitting down. Next up is a hot bath, right there in front of everyone, plus a piece of chocolate cake. Parvati wants this one, but Jonathan bids her up to $360, just to make her pay.

A piece of paper that “gives you power in the game” is the next item for sale. Candice bids $500, but Yul loans Becky money and she bids $600. “Why do you need that Becky. You already have the numbers”. Becky ignores her. Adam loans Candice money and it goes to $640 when Adam quits. Becky wins and finds that she must send someone to Exile Island right now and take all of their money. She chooses Candice, one more time.

Jeff brings up the idea that there might still be the hidden immunity idol. But Yule decides to end the suspense and brings it out to show everyone. Parvati looks closely at it and pronounces that “it looks authentic”. This is based her years of inspecting immunity idols. Ice cream is the next item and Ozzy gets that one. Jonathan bids $400, but Ozzy bids $420… I’m sure he’s familiar with that number. Jonathan wins a pizza. Sundra gets a sea cucumber. Jonathan gets mouthwash.

See the next post for more images.

Parvati and Adam instantly begin to badmouth Jonathan to Aitu. Becky mentions his bad breath and rude behavior. Everyone climbs on the Jonathan bashing train, except for Yul. Adam and Parvati think they see a crack in the alliance and press as hard as they can. Jonatahn sense the change and it looks like they might vote off Jonathan instead of one of the kids. Candice cries on Exile Island. And cries again.

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