Survivor: Cook Islands – the TV Guide Channel Preview

In preparation for Survivor: Cook Islands, the TV Guide Channel has an hourlong preview airing now. Their reporters visited the islands and watched some of the action, so let’s see what they found and what we can perhaps learn from it.

By now, of course, everybody knows that the show will begin with four tribes split up by racial groupings. We’ve already taken a look at the contestants and I gave my two cents on whether CBS should pull the series because of some New York politicians blabbing about how horrible it is. So let’s move on to what the TV Guide Channel has to say.

A slimmer Cirie from Survivor: Exile Island introduces the show, saying they will be revealing everything we want to know about the show, from the players to the challenges. And only TV Guide Channel had camera crews on location.

First up is a look at the Cook Islands themselves. Mark Burnett and Jeff Probst talk about how great the islands are, beautiful water, etc. And with the Mutiny on the Bounty, there are great stories there as well.

Cirie talks about the fact that, as I already mentioned, the tribes will be split by ethnicity. We get our first contestant soundbite as Cao Boi says he thinks the diversity will be interesting. Probst says the notion came from criticism that the show was not ethnically diverse enough. The reason, he continues, is that the people who apply are basically Caucasian – 80% of them, in fact! So Burnett decided to start it out in separate tribes, knowing that the tribes would be mixed “over and over and over.” Hmmm. So I wonder just how many tribal mix-ups there will be!

Probst says what may be the most interesting line of the preview when he explains they sought out people who weren’t Survivor addicts and didn’t know the show that well, but were interested in the adventure. Hopefully, at least some of them were smart enough to research the show and can outplay the others.

Cirie says they knew starting out in racial tribes would be a touch subject, and Probst chimes in that this is what he likes – people talk about race privately, but not in public. Several spokespeople from different ethnic associations provide their opinions, with a couple saying they need to see it in order to judge (smart people) and another saying it’s bad right off the bad (not so smart person). Mark Burnett asserts that after watching the show, we will think it’s a very positive thing, while Probst says at a certain point in the game, people aren’t going to care what race another player is, but whether or not they can trust that person.

Cirie says the show is keeping some traditions alive, such as Exile Island from her season and a marooning of the contestants dating back to the first season. So as in the first episode ever, the tribes will have to grab stuff of a larger boat, throw it onto rafts, and paddle to their beaches.

Now it’s time to meet some of the competitors. Cristina is a police officer who was shot in the arm and injured so badly that they didn’t know if she’d regain full use of it. But within 13 months, she was back at work. Probst says he thinks she has a real shot of winning the game.

J.P. knows the producers will screw with him. He’s prepared for the emotional turmoil because he lost his mother at age six and his father last year. And Ozzy has a lifelong love affair with the water, surfing, diving, etc. Probst thinks he has a chance to win too.

Cecilia is a risk consultant, and no, I still don’t know what that means. But we see some footage of her working around camp, cooking, hacking at branches, etc. Probst says flat-out that he believes she has “no chance of winning this game,” but she will be an asset due to her attitude.

Billy has black belts in karate and judo, is a former Marine, a wrestler, and a heavy metal guitarist – Cirie says Survivor has never seen a player like him. Probst says he will probably be around for a while because he seems extremely likeable. I think it’s more because he’ll be one of the strongest and people will want to keep him on their tribe.

Nathan says he won’t be the bossy type, just a hard worker. Probst says he has a way about him that is extremely likeable. But Nathan says he’ll make moves when he needs to. Meanwhile, Stephannie is one of the definite Survivor fans in the group, having auditioned twice before making it this time. Probst says she has military training and is getting her second college degree, showing how she applies herself.

Rebecca is a makeup artist for The View, including Elisabeth Hasselback from season 2. She says in that world, you need be able to deal with divas without offending them, and Probst says she can hold her own.

Sundra has appeared on a few TV shows and will be motivated to stick around by her five-year-old son. Jazz musician Sekou will probably be one of the initial leaders of his tribe, Probst says. He says he will use all of his survival skills from growing up in the city in the game.