Veteran host still surprised by Survivor
TV's oldest reality show capable of
shock finish as frontrunner voted off
  
Alex Strachan
Canwest News Service
Sunday, April 27, 2008


American Idol isn't the only reality show capable of a shock finish.

Just when you thought you had Survivor pegged, somebody does something so totally out there that you could be forgiven for wondering if the whole thing isn't just manipulated but scripted as well.

How to explain last week's "say what?!" moment, in which -- shades of Idol -- the front-runner was voted off the island, the result of a last-second blind-side that nobody, not least Jeff Probst, saw coming.

Ozzy Lusth, hero of Survivor: Cook Islands and one of the eponymous "favourites" in Survivor Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites, had a hidden immunity idol tucked away somewhere on his possession.

Whether through hubris, overconfidence or an almost naive belief in human honesty, though, he chose not to play it, and then watched -- open-mouthed -- as five of the remaining nine castaways turned on him at the fateful tribal council vote.

Of course, if you don't know the name Ozzy Lusth, or what a hidden immunity idol is, or even who Jeff Probst is, you're probably not reading this, and that's as it should be. After 16 seasons -- yes, 16 -- Survivor is unlikely to win any new converts now.

And for those who continue to watch -- Survivor remains a Top 5 program in Canada and, thanks in no small part to the writers' strike, a Top 10 program in the U.S. -- it remains a fascinating reflection of human nature, even though, after 16 of these things, one could be forgiven for thinking they know what's coming next.

Survivor's motto is outwit/outlast/outplay. But shouldn't that be lie/cheat/steal?

"The theme of Survivor is game play, which is 'if you lie, cheat and steal, you can get away with a lot'," Survivor host Jeff Probst said recently in an interview. "But, typically, you won't win this game. Karma and consequence will catch up with you in the end, and you won't get the votes."

Probst has been doing this for a while -- he's seen it all, and he knows what's coming, right?

"No. We have a record number of blind-sides this season. It's amazing how many blind-sides happen in a row. You would think, after these many seasons, that pulling a blind-side would be tough. It showed me you really have to have you're wits about you in this game. Because if you are not aware, then you're in the fog. And if you're in the fog, you're in trouble."

Ozzy was clearly in the fog, then -- even if he didn't think so.

Why should we care? Because, at it's heart, Survivor remains a mirror of society -- the office workplace, at any rate, if not society at large.

Probst admitted freely that he may think he sees curves coming down the road, but people are full of surprises.

"My jaw dropped at so many votes, at so many tribal councils. The tribal council would end and I would say to them, 'Got me, again. And you got them, again.' You had people scratching their heads going, 'How did this happen to me?' I definitely don't think I know all the strategies. I think the best players play the game moment to moment."

To win Survivor, you see, a castaway still needs more votes from fellow castaways at the final tribal council.

No one wants to reward somebody who lies, cheats and steals -- unless they talk a very good game, as winner Richard Hatch did in the first, original Survivor.

As for how long Survivor can itself survive, Probst isn't hazarding any guesses, except to say that it has a lot of life left in it yet.

There have been two behind-the-scenes developments in the past week. One, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has announced there'll be a new category at the Emmys this year: Best host of a reality/reality-competition program. Probst will be eligible, along with The Amazing Race host -- and close personal friend -- Phil Keoghan, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition's Ty Pennington and, yes, even American Idol's Ryan Seacrest.

Probst isn't thinking much about that, though. He has a new cycle of Survivor to worry about, because:

Two, the next edition of Survivor will be shot in HD for the first time. CBS made the announcement late last week. It was considered a bit of a long shot because HD costs money, and given the economic state of network TV today, the broadcast nets are reluctant to spend money they don't have to.

"I think everybody wants us to do it," Probst said. "It's really just a matter of CBS saying we're going to do it and here's the extra money.

"Personally, I don't mind if we never shot in HD. I've seen what I look like in HD -- not flattering."

http://www.canada.com/victoria.....0f-a4c5-bbd238b97b52

.