Aussies Getting Screwed on Survivor 4

As an American, I admit that I take everything for granted, especially as it pertains to my TV viewing habits. Reality TV is one of my favorite genres to watch because, among other things, I know that the shows won't be cancelled until the last episode has aired. Well... almost never (THANK YOU VERY MUCH ABC!). But one time, just one time, because a simple four-alarm forest fire was threatening to burn down the city I lived in, I missed an episode of the original Survivor. And man, did I cry like a baby over it. My neighborhood was filled with smoke, I could clearly see the blaze, and I was calling the local CBS affiliate and demanding that they put Survivor back on the air. "Oh come on, it's not like NBC and ABC aren't covering the damn fire!" Fortunately, the show came back on just in time for me to watch Gervase get the boot. But still, I felt like I had been screwed out of my precious Survivor.

And now, millions of people from the land down under are about to get the same treatment, ten-fold.

In case you haven't heard, Australia is getting its own version of Survivor. Sixteen Aussies who look, sound, and likely smell like Paul Hogan will be fighting it out for the title of sole survivor.

Unfortunately, most Aussies don't care. They want the American version of the show. And unless we can do something about it, they won't get it. It turns out the station producing the Australian version of the show also owns the rights to show the American version, and with Survivor 4 just around the corner, they don't want the U.S. version to steal the thunder away from their home-grown version, so they simply aren't going to show it. This means the basically everyone in Australia will be forced to watch a bastardized version of the real thing.

But there is something we can do about it. Yes, even if you are an American, you owe it to those friendly folks down under to help out? Why, you ask? Does three good Crocodile Dundee movies ring a bell? Don't give me that look, Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles was a great movie. Besides, if there was no Australia, there would have never been that episode of The Simpsons where Bart places a collect call to some Aussie kid asking which way the water in the toilet bowls swirl down there.

Here is what you do: Go to the link below and sign the petition. It's that simple. Will it make a difference? Who knows, but it certainly couldn't hurt. I wish the people of Oz (no, not the prison show) good luck. The staff of RealityNewsOnline salutes you and your efforts to convince network bigwigs that you deserve to right to experience the real Survivor.

Click here to see and sign the petition. For a brief look at the newspaper coverage of this event, click here.

To get a better idea of what’s going on down under, I also interviewed Al Clark, who started the petition.

RealityNewsOnline: How long have Australians been aware that Survivor 4 would not air down there?

Al Clark: We have known since just after the Survivor: Africa finale aired here (the evening of January 12). I believe it was initially reported in a couple of newspapers that a member of Channel Nine's Programming Department announced to a select audience that Australian Survivor would be screening from the middle of February, and Survivor: Marquesas would make way for it.

RNO: Did Channel Nine make a public announcement that Survivor 4 would not air down there, at least until Australian Survivor had ended?

AC: Such an announcement was not made public for another four to five days after the newspaper reports, and even then it remained low key, merely being a mention on Channel Nine's Survivor website (http://ninemsn.com.au/survivor3/), and I quote:

"This year on Nine, double the Survivor with our very own battling it out on Australian Survivor and then later in 2002, the Americans head back to the beach on Survivor Marquesas. Can it get any better than that?"

Since the conclusion of Survivor: Africa, Channel Nine has broadcast regular advertisements for Australian Survivor, but there has been no mention of Survivor: Marquesas. To my knowledge, the above statement on the website is the only public announcement made.

RNO: After reading through the petition, I noticed that most Aussies aren't really that excited over Channel Nine's Australian Survivor. Is the buzz really that low for it down there?

AC: The general negative tone in the petition comments towards Australian Survivor is a result of the feeling that Channel Nine are replacing a proven quality product with their own unproven product. It is a pretty sure bet that Survivor: Marquesas will be another 3 months of riveting television that will deliver Channel Nine solid ratings. As for Australian Survivor, at this point the quality and appeal of the series is unknown.

I think the animosity towards Australian Survivor is not that we do not want to see it, but that Channel Nine's decision will cause us to miss out on the full Survivor: Marquesas experience.

RNO: How big is the delay between live airings of previous Survivors between the U.S. and Australia?

AC:Survivor 1 began airing in Australia approximately one month later (from memory), than in the U.S. Thankfully, Channel Nine screened two episodes per week to reduce the delay by the time the game got into the latter stages. Subsequent series have screened on Channel Nine with a delay of six days (slightly less given the time difference between the two countries), giving us a short window each week to participate in on-line discussions with the international fan community without the risk of spoilers. For the finale/reunion episodes, Channel Nine has aired them here within two days of the U.S. airing. Up until this point, I personally think we have done pretty well with Channel Nine. Maybe that has contributed to the severity of the backlash.

RNO: Of course, the main concern with the extended delay between airings is spoilers. Naturally, you would have to avoid any U.S. Survivor Websites so that you wouldn't know who has been voted off, but do other media outlets down there report what has happened on the American shows that hasn't aired down there yet?

AC: The short answer is not really. I know when the Survivor 1 finale had just aired in the U.S., some local radio stations advertised Richard Hatch's win as part of the news bulletin prior to the local finale airing. An intense barrage of complaints ensured that did not happen ever again. I did find out about the next person to be voted out prior to seeing it on Channel Nine in a street press publication once, but its readership is quite limited. I guess there may still be an occasional spoiler in the media here, but thankfully they are few and far between.

RNO: Is there any e-mail address our readers can write to and ask (politely of course) that Channel Nine air Survivor 4 with minimal delay after the U.S. showing?

AC: Unfortunately Channel Nine have not publicised such an address. Our only points of contact at Channel Nine are via phone or snail mail. For those who wish to phone or send a snail mail letter to Channel Nine, you can find the necessary details here. I would also encourage Australian viewers to contact TV magazines, TV liftouts in the major newspapers and even CBS regarding our concerns.

RNO: Anything else you would like to add?

AC: Another point I would like to make is that delaying Survivor: Marquesas in Australia until after Australian Survivor has aired will also affect all future series of Survivor, especially given that Survivor 5 is already being planned. If we get so far behind the U.S. now, then potentially we either never catch up, making spoilers a huge problem for all subsequent series, or we will miss out on a series entirely in order to catch up. Currently, Channel Nine has got us in a no-win situation.

Also, see Melinda Smith's article looking at what the fans think.

Be sure to sign up for our e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on the site and be registered for giveaways and special offers! You can find all of our articles about this show at the Survivor: Africa Page, and take a look at our sections on The Amazing Race and Popstars 2. You can even buy reality show stuff at our Reality TV Store!

For even more news about reality TV, be sure to check out RealityTVFans.com, SirLinksALot and the Manly Man!