Bungler posted this on the EZ Board. I thought I would bring it here.Re: S4 Ep 1 -- The Reviews are in
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Long TV Guide article:

Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE BEACH IS BACK

Survivor hits the beach again for this fourth edition as the 16 latest castaways are marooned in French Polynesia on Nuku Hiva, the largest of the 12 Marquesas Islands in the South Pacific. Executive producer Mark Burnett promises "a much more uplifting, fun series" this time around. "It reminds me of Survivor 1," says Burnett. "It'll make you laugh a lot and you're going to love the cast. You can take that to the bank."

Speaking of the bank, the producers recently paid two of its Survivor: Africa players, Lex and Tom, $100,000 apiece (second-place money) because of a major error in the penultimate challenge that could have altered the outcome. One of the answers they gave in an immunity quiz was judged incorrect when it was actually a correct response. "An honest, human error was made," says Burnett. "It's done and we just have to move on."

And S4 is a good way to move on. While the island setting may be familiar, the conditions and rules are slightly different. This time out the players aren't given any food or fresh water. They also are given minimal supplies.

"I always wanted to do that," says Burnett, of the lack of provisions. But this was the first time it was feasible. Burnett sent some of his producers to the island and made them fend for themselves. They discovered that fish, fruit, vegetables and water could be found if you just went looking for them. "The only question then was fire — so we provided them with a magnifying glass, which meant that fire could definitely be achieved during the daytime," says Burnett. "It became like a real bunch of people marooned who had to actually make a world."

Another wrinkle in this edition is that previous votes no longer count against a player in the event of a tie vote at Tribal Council. "It became a bit too mathematical," says Burnett. "It got so annoying to me." He says he's made at least two other changes to the game, but declines to elaborate on them at this time.

Of course, the big twist in Africa was having three players from each tribe switch teams. The surprise not only affected the game there but also in Marquesas. "The players saw the switch episode while in their hotel rooms the night before leaving America," says Burnett. "The reaction was, 'Oh, my God!' Jeff and I spoke with them afterward and told them if you learned anything from seeing the episode it should be, 'Don't assume anything.' You don't know if there will be a switch tomorrow. You don't know if there are going to be four tribes, three tribes, two tribes. You don't know if there is ever going to be a merge. Don't assume anything." The result was a more "freethinking, freewheeling" approach to the game.

There also is "more of a romance this time around," confirms Burnett, but he's quick to add that "it's not Temptation Island. We've got very, very smelly people." While the players' hygiene may not be conducive to romance, Nuku Hiva's lush backdrop certainly is. Its towering waterfalls and green rolling hills are a stark contrast to Kenya's flat, dusty terrain.

Amazingly, S4 wasn't supposed to take place here. It was scheduled for Jordan. "I had about 30 people working in Jordan — and construction was underway on 9/11," says Burnett. "On 9/12 Leslie and I spoke. We realized it was impossible to go forward even though we were only five and a half weeks from filming. So we brought forward the location we had for Survivor 5. We had to reinvent everything. I had to get my people out of Jordan. We were on the first international flights that left Los Angeles following 9/11 and we went straight to the Marquesas and started working immediately. CBS stepped up. We stepped up. And my crew, miraculously, did seven months' work in five and a half weeks."

And judging from tonight's initial episode, all of the hard work paid off. The location is simply gorgeous and draws you in right away. From the moment the 16 contestants abandon ship and begin rowing to shore, Nuku Hiva looks like an ideal spot to be marooned. The diverse cast, too, looks promising, as some strong personalities emerge in the opener. They range from handsome Hunter, a former jet-fighter pilot, who takes charge right away, to prima donna Sarah, a busty account manager who makes friends and enemies from the get-go. There is also no-nonsense Kathy, a real estate agent who ruffles a few feathers with her aggressiveness; goofy Rob, a construction company foreman who is the definition of a fish out of water; and jokester Sean, an inner-city schoolteacher who should bring much-needed comic relief.

So who will be the ultimate survivor, and who will be the first cast off? My pick for the first to go is Rob. He just doesn't seem to fit in. The big winner: "Lobster Lady" Zoe. She's a commercial fisherman and charter-boat captain from Maine. She's the only one who actually lives on an island and lives off the sea. I'd sure want to keep her around.

Viewers should find that S4 is reminiscent of the original Survivor — and that's a good thing, since the first is still by far the best. "Returning to an island was very nostalgic," says Burnett. "It was a real good feeling for the crew." Chances are it will be for faithful viewers, too. — Tim Holland
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What I find interesting is the paragraph regarding the twist. So this article puts to rest whether or not they know about this happening.

• RE: TV Guide Article,true, 10:04 AM, 02-28-02
• RE: TV Guide Article,s_man, 10:31 AM, 02-28-02
• RE: TV Guide Article,Swami, 11:55 AM, 02-28-02
  • RE: TV Guide Article,matthiasw, 12:51 PM, 02-28-02
    • RE: TV Guide Article,PepeLePew13, 01:58 PM, 02-28-02
  • Brilliant!,PagongRatEater, 05:11 PM, 02-28-02
    • RE: Brilliant!,heresy, 08:56 AM, 03-02-02

>>Of course, the big twist in Africa was having three players from each tribe switch teams. The surprise not only affected the game there but also in Marquesas. "The players saw the switch episode while in their hotel rooms the night before leaving America," says Burnett. "The reaction was, 'Oh, my God!' Jeff and I spoke with them afterward and told them if you learned anything from seeing the episode it should be, 'Don't assume anything.' You don't know if there will be a switch tomorrow. You don't know if there are going to be four tribes, three tribes, two tribes. You don't know if there is ever going to be a merge. Don't assume anything." The result was a more "freethinking, freewheeling" approach to the game.<<

This really surprises me. Why on earth would Burnett let them know about the switch in advance. I wonder if this means there will be NO switch in S4.

true
True friends stab you in the front -Oscar Wilde

I agree with True - I thought MB was BRILLIANT for getting the new 16 away before the S3 twist - so why let them see/know about it?

Remember - as MB and JiffyPop have stated - assume NOTHING.

I think letting them see the twist episode was pretty smart. MB likes to keep people off-balance, and too many contestants on S3 were playing with minimal passion because they thought they knew how everything worked. for example, the mall-rats just laying around all day, confident in their ability to vote off the remaining 3 old folks. That ain't gonna happen in S4 now that they've seen the twist--result, better TV show.

Interesting that TV Guide picks Rob as a goofy fish out of water who may be first to go. If he's not an annoying goof, I think he will be okay. It is the socially inept/most annoying and not super-strong who seem to be early vote off targets.

Swami

I doubt they really saw the switch for a couple reasons.

He said the players were shocked.

The players dont' share hotel rooms and they dont' talk until the game starts. Burnett would have to talk to them each one on one... also - this is in the French Polynesia - do they get CBS?

Is there CBS like ours? The african series was shown on African television half way through the series start here...

Basically what I'm saying is - I find it highly unlikely that they watched Survivor 3.

As for the switch - I'm not sure what to expect.

>The players dont' share hotel rooms and they dont' talk until
>the game starts. Burnett would have to talk to them each one
>on one... also - this is in the French Polynesia - do they get
>CBS?

>Is there CBS like ours? The african series was shown on African
>television half way through the series start here...

>Basically what I'm saying is - I find it highly unlikely that
>they watched Survivor 3.

Note that the original post said that they saw the switch episode the night before they left America.

I think that, like Swami, MB wanted to confuse the contestants even more adn get them thinking to the point where they might over-think and do something stupid. This makes for more interesting TV. MB knows that these bums in Africa lazing about didn't make for good TV, so he wants to prod the new contestants into something more interesting.

The whole point of the switch was to get people out of the comfort of their alliances. To have not shown them that it could happen to them too would have been to waste another three or four episodes of this show with potentially the same crud we had to put up with on Samburu. It is essential to send the message that alliances don't matter.

That being said, I thought that I remembered talking about this topic when the S3 switch happened and that S4 had already started filming. I really question Mark's story of how this information was disseminated, but I DO think that they are aware of the changed dynamic.

EPM could have shown them the episode in any of the many viewing theaters in the CBS compound in Hollywood. The theaters are large enough for them to be able to keep all of the contestants separate. There is adequate security to prevent anyone without proper credentials see the show. The episode was already finished when this group left America.

EPM is in this to make "good television" -- something worth watching. In both S2 and S3, we saw a lot of complacency about when things were going to occur, which was shattered with the swap and the merge that came a day later than in the two prior seasons. Also, he needs to keep making changes to ensure that the game doesn't get stale. This would be a very effective way to get rid of that complacency once and for all.

I think EPM is telling the truth this time.