Gabon Cast Revealed

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Meet the cast video

Survivor Video - CBS.com

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Here is a link to a second set of pre-game video interviews with the contestants.

Comcast Interviews with Gabon Contestants

[pawpaw]

reality blurred + Dan was the most likable Survivor Gabon cast member, while Kelly was the most awful

After meeting and talking one-on-one with each of the Survivor Gabon cast members at pre-Ponderosa, the location where they stay and wait until the game starts, I decided to try to rank them based upon how they’d do in the game. Having watched every episode of every season of Survivor except the very first episode, I thought this would be an easy task. It was not.
In fact, I think my familiarity with the show made it more difficult, because I realized there were so many game-play variables that affected their success—like tribe divisions, when the merge occurred, and other twists—never mind their own decisions about their behavior. Randy, for example, came across as a complete asshole in our conversation, but I knew that, once the game started, he could play nice or he could be an even bigger dick. If the latter, his tribemates could either dump him or keep him around because he’d be easy to beat. See? There were just too many possibilities.
Complicating things was the way nearly all of the cast members told me about their impressions about one another. Although they aren’t allowed to speak before the game (and they do not talk, which is creepy), they spend days together, eating and killing time on the beach or whatever. Some told me that they communicated non-verbally, while others just started judging their fellow competitors based upon clothing or the books they were reading. While some had totally figured other people out, others had pretty inaccurate impressions, and in both cases, of course, I didn’t share that with them, although they occasionally tried to get information from me.
After trying to figure out which of the 18 people would at least make the merge and giving up on that, I realized the only way I could rank them was by how much I liked them—because even after just 20 to 30 minutes with each of them, I absolutely knew that. I’ve ranked them based upon their likability below (I’ve also included their official hometowns and occupations, according to CBS).
The first eight were people I’d want to align with if I played the game, or at least I’d just want to spend time talking with them. They were warm, charming, interesting, or some combination of those things. The next six, nine through 14, were people I was neutral on; they were pleasant but nothing really sparked in our conversations, and I might have even been a bit bored with them. The last four I pretty much despised, and perhaps not coincidentally, some of them didn’t really seem to like me. Also, it’s worth noting that in these groups, the ranks are a bit arbitrary; Matty could easily have swapped places with Kelly, just as three to eight could be shuffled because they were all similarly nice.
Starting after the long weekend, I’ll post an interview or two a day with each cast member, which should explain my rationale and give insight into how they’ll play the game. And I’m kind of excited to see how this translates to the game. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see my list flip entirely.
Dan Kay, 32, Boston, lawyer
Susie Smith, 47, Charles City, Iowa, hairdresser
Ace Gordon, 27, Naples, Fla., jewelry sales
Charlie Herschel, 29, New York, lawyer
Ken Hoang, 22, Westminster, Calif., professional gamer
Danny “GC” Brown, 26, Portland, Ore., maintenance man
Paloma Soto-Castillo, 24, Downey, Calif., student
Bob Crowley, 58, Portland, Maine, physics teacher
Jessica “Sugar” Kiper, 29, Brooklyn, N.Y. pin-up model/actor
Crystal Cox, 29, Durham, N.C., Olympian
Marcus Lehman, 28, Atlanta, doctor
Michelle Chase, 24, Los Angeles, music production assistant
Jacque Berg, 25, Santa Barbara, Calif., medical sales
Gillian Larson, 61, Temecula, Calif., retired nurse
Randy Bailey, 49, Eagle Rock, Mo., wedding videographer
Matty Whitmore, 29, Pacific Palisades, Calif., personal trainer
Corrine Kaplan, 29, Los Angeles, pharmaceutical sales
Kelly Czarnecki, 22, Buffalo Grove, Ill., retail

[cherylb]

Looks like a winner of cast and hopefully a great season. Can't wait.

[cwalton]

Who do you like and dislike so far?

I'm liking Ace a lot.

Marcus is too perfect, so I don't like him at all.

I like Bob, of course, because old guys rule.

I don't like Matty, but I don't know why.

GC seems cool.

Randy seems like a fun bad guy.

Ken will probably win it.

Sugar is too much. Not liking her act at all. I wonder if there's a real person inside all of that.

All of the blond girls can go home early.

[pawpaw]

The Trades - Interview: Jeff Probst – 17 Seasons and Counting

After 16 seasons on the air, CBS’ Survivor continues to be one of the most-watched reality shows on TV. Season 17 of this reality mega-hit begins on Thursday, Sept. 25. This time, viewers will see the contestants stranded in Gabon, Africa. Hyped by the show as “Earth’s Last Eden,” Gabon features remote wilderness inhabited by many of earth’s most dangerous animals. “The survivors truly [encountered] wildlife that could kill them,” says host Jeff Probst, who recently returned from filming the upcoming season.

He explains, “The most exciting part of Gabon was also the most dangerous, and that was that the animals were not used to people.”

Survivor previously ventured to Africa to film the show’s third season in Kenya. While Gabon and Kenya may share the same continent, Probst says there is a stark contrast between the animals of the two locations. “Kenya is like a zoo,” he tells me. “Animals are everywhere. They’re used to having safari groups come through and tourists come by. It wasn’t as crazy for them to see a truck full of people.” The animals in Gabon proved less receptive to the arrival of the Survivor cast and crew. “In Gabon, when we landed, the animals were gone,” he recalls. “They scattered to the point that you knew something actually could happen.”

As Probst explains, the crew had to be on constant lookout for encroaching wildlife. “We found leopard prints in our catering tent five nights in a row. It’s scary. If it’s your night off and you’ve had one beer too many and you stumble into catering to try to steal some bread, it could be over.”

For the contestants, their fellow castaways may pose a greater threat than any of the exotic wildlife. Each season, participants form tribes and vote each other out until a sole survivor remains. Probst says this unchanging foundation for the game signifies that the show has “resisted the temptation to make wholesale changes [to] try to become the flavor of the month.”

He says, “Consistency is the key to Survivor’s longevity. We know what our show is and that’s what we deliver every week.”

Another constant element of the show is that contestants must balance truth and deception to forge the bonds necessary to avoiding elimination at tribal council. Although former contestant Amanda Kimmel believes that people in the game “respect brutal honesty whether it's something they want to hear or not,” Probst says deception usually proves the most effective tactic. “It’s a case-by-case basis, but in 99 percent of those cases – if you’re talking about what will help you win the game – hands down deception [is more valuable],” he says. “When people on the show are getting ready to vote somebody out, there will be a debate at camp about whether to blindside the person or to tell the person. It’s always followed by the phrase, ‘Because I’d want to know.’ The truth is, the minute you tell somebody and you clear your conscience by being honest – if they’re any good at all – you just gave them a real kick in the pants to start playing this game.”

Probst says the honesty vs. deception debate boils down to a simple question, “Are you here to win the game or make friends?”

For most players, the desire to win the million-dollar prize trumps any other motivation. Therefore, it’s no surprise to hear Probst’s observation that, “Blindsides are catching on more than ever. People are realizing that the blindside is the greatest way to take somebody out.”

The show’s addition of a hidden immunity idol (which Probst describes as “one of the best inventions we’ve ever come up with”) has also prompted some of the game’s most ingenious strategic moves. In this respect, Probst promises that viewers can expect more of the same from Survivor: Gabon – Earth’s Last Eden. “This season, the idols get played in a way they’ve never been played before,” he reveals. “It astounded me what happened this time. This has never happened. It’s that power of the idol that confuses everybody. Nobody’s quite sure how to handle it. It gets to a point where it’s almost too much power and it does you in. I find that fascinating. This is the one thing that can keep you safe in the game and yet – if you’re not careful – it’s the thing that will get you voted out the fastest.”

While the contestants are busy plotting against one another, Probst and the rest of the creative team spend their time in rehearsal and meetings. He estimates that 70 percent of his work for Survivor happens behind the scenes. “Really, what you’re doing on screen is executing all the ideas you’ve already thought through,” he explains.

When he’s not devoting time to the show, Probst says he takes time to enjoy the location. “We’ve been to some beaches in the world that are so beautiful you wonder why we don’t just pack up and move there,” he says, citing Palau and the Cook Islands as two examples. “You forget how beautiful the earth is. You get stuck in your little city with all its buildings.”

That said, he jokes that the ideal location for Survivor would be his own backyard. “If I could run tribal councils in my backyard and then get in my bed and go to sleep, that would be perfect.”

Perhaps that wouldn’t be such a stretch considering that he keeps the torch snuffer from each season in a tub in his garage. But don’t worry – Probst hasn’t turned his home into a Survivor museum just yet. He says the torch snuffers are the only souvenirs he keeps from the show. He laughs, “It’s not like you walk into my house and hear Survivor music.”

[pawpaw]

From Knockouts for Girls. Guess we know how they found Michelle.

Michelle Chase
(Co-Founder and Boxer) Michelle Chase was born in Hollywood, Florida and spent most of her childhood in Ft Lauderdale. Michelle's dad regularly competed in triathlons and Michelle (who looked up to her dad) followed suit, running her first 5K race when she was just 7 years old. After earning her high school diploma, Michelle moved to Hawaii where she became a prominent surfer. While living in Oahu, she entered her first fitness pageant. Her fitness trainer was a professional boxer and got her hooked on the sport. Michelle has competed in 7 boxing matches and her record is 5-1-1. She is considering going professional. Michelle works as a music consultant for major motion pictures. She most recently worked on Peter Berg's THE KINGDOM.

Parvati Shallow
(Public Relations and Boxer) Parvati Shallow winner of CBS's Survivor: Micronesia - Fans vs. Favorites she survived 38 days on the island beating out 17 other contestants and winning the $1 million. She first appeared as a contestant on Survivor: Cook Islands. She survived 36 days on the island before being voted off, primarily because she posed the biggest threat. Parvati grew up in a commune in Vero Beach, Florida. At age 12, her parents left the commune and moved the family to Atlanta, Georgia. Parvati graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Georgia with high honors. Click HERE to view Parvati winning $1 million dollars on Survivor's Fans vs. Favorites.

[pawpaw]

More of the Probst interview with The trades

I have an interview with Survivor host Jeff Probst at The Trades about the upcoming season of the popular CBS reality show. During our conversation, we discussed the effects that online and social media have on shows such as Survivor.

“I have a love/hate relationship [with online media],” he told me. “I love the enthusiasm that makes somebody want to get online and even criticize our show. I don’t care if you like it or not. I love that people are invested enough to say, ‘That was a great season and this one was lousy.’ What I’m not so enthused about are people who want to try to ruin the show.”

Although Probst may find these online spoilers annoying, he told me he isn’t worried about them damaging the show. He suggested that the amount of attention given to online discussion is sometimes overblown. “I think the amount of people that are actually online talking about a show is so minute that I don’t think it impacts the show,” he said. “The reason I say that is, every year there are spoiler sites that try to give away all the information, and it hasn’t hurt the popularity of the show one bit.”

If you’re getting the impression that Probst dislikes the online arena, that’s far from the truth. He acknowledged, “It has its place. It’s a legitimate place to talk about the show.”

He also made it clear that the television industry remains tuned in to the voices of online contributors. “Everybody in the television industry certainly knows about [online media], because that’s where the industry is headed,” he said. “You look to those sites to kind of see what they’re talking about, because, in a way, they’re telling you what they want to see.”

I really enjoyed speaking with Probst and found him to be as personable as he comes across on the show.

[pawpaw]

CBS ANNOUNCES 18 CASTAWAYS TO COMPETE ON "SURVIVOR: GABON -- EARTH'S LAST EDEN"

CBS ANNOUNCES 18 CASTAWAYS TO COMPETE ON "SURVIVOR: GABON -- EARTH'S LAST EDEN"

8.27.08


17th Installment of the Hit Television Series Premieres for the first time in High-Definition on Thursday, Sept. 25

CBS today announced the 18 castaways who will compete on SURVIVOR: GABON - EARTH'S LAST EDEN, when the 17th installment of the Emmy Award-winning series premieres for the first time in high-definition Thursday, Sept. 25 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

Marooned in the wilderness, 18 individuals will embark on an amazing African adventure, battling extreme conditions and interacting with wildlife such as elephants and gorillas, while attempting to forge alliances with strangers from diverse backgrounds. "In a strange coincidence to Earth's Last Eden - good vs. evil emerges as a major theme this season. I think the audience will quickly identify with one group or the other," host Jeff Probst teases. Will the group of deceitful castaways outlast those individuals who play from their heart or will the forces of evil prevail? Will temptations interfere with logical decision-making? More importantly, which side will come out on top?

In a SURVIVOR first, the magnificent landscape, natural elements, and fascinating wildlife featured on Earth's Last Eden will be enjoyed by viewers in high-definition, enhancing the overall experience of the show. Probst claims, "Shooting in HD is like adding another character to the show. The detail is so sharp you can't help but feel as though you are experiencing the adventure yourself."

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FYI--Charlie knows Todd & Eliza in real life-they encouraged him to apply. Never hurts to have friends in high places.