Friday, January 21, 2005

Pre-Season Update 3

Warning: possible spoilers.

Before the start of a new season of Survivor, the usual rumors and gossip are circulating online. What's true and what's false? Only time will tell. Here are the most interesting tidbits so far.

1. CBS has announced that three people will be removed from the show during the first hour. How? The consensus seems to be that two people won't make it to the first challenge on time. The third will be voted off in the usual manner.

2. Based on the previews, a lot of people theorize that the castaways will be stranded with just their regular clothes (like on Pearle Islands, Panama). Possibly the first challenge is a race immediately after being stranded with the final two people sent home. There is also a rumor that several people get really lost in the first show.

3. Since Palau was the scene of World War Two battles, this theme will be featured in challenges and such. Possibly one tribe will "capture" POWs from the other tribe. Camouflage on the Palau logo and military chevrons on the buffs lend credence to these rumors.

Next week I'll address the speculation about who gets voted off early and who makes it a long way.

Not rumor:
CBS has announced that Survivor Palau will have a 2 hour final on Sunday, May 15 at 8:00 pm followed by the usual 1 hour reunion show.

Jeff Probst, once again our host, has said that this isn't the most even-keeled bunch. So I expect more than the usual amount of entertaining confrontations.

From the CBS website, "From the beginning the game will be changed in a dramatic way.  Everything the Survivors have come to expect will be wiped in the first 10 minutes." What could this be about?

Richard Hatch picIn Other Survivor News
It seems Richard Hatch (right), winner of the first Survivor, is in some hot water with the IRS. He apparently didn't report all of his winnings.

I hope this doesn't prevent him from co-hosting Survivor Live, the Internet Talk Show. That is if they're doing it again. He did a good job with it during Survivor Vanuatu.

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