I think most of these are new. More non challenge/non ASSers caps over at fever:27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
Voice over:
Julie Chen: The last time Survivor followed a Super Bowl, more than 45 million viewers tuned in. Now, three years later and with a cast of All-Stars, it is poised to return CBS' top reality show to the top of the ratings. CBS News Correspondent Tracy Smith caught up with the players and producers to see how the game has changed for this special edition.
TS: When Survivor: All-Stars premieres after Sunday's Super Bowl, it's sure to be a blockbuster night for CBS with tens of millions tuned in to hear four little words: "The tribe has spoken."
Having their torches have been snuffed once before. Most of the "All-Stars" are returning for a second chance and many of them with changed lives.
Lex quit his day job and got himself a new tattoo.
Lex: I look down at my can of whoop ass it's easier to just yank it out and pull it out anytime I want to.
Colby Donaldson landed a girlfriend.
Colby: The coolest thing was, right before I left, she said, "Know that you're going away, and in seven weeks, you're going to come home to a girl that absolutely loves you."
TS: And "Big Tom" Buchanan learned how to read.
Tom: How many millions of people watching and I can't spell? And I said, "learn to read: Don't be like Big Tom. Learn to read. And reading will learn you to spell and stuff.
TS: It's at tribal council where the fate of the Survivor: All-Star cast will be determined. But what's become of some of Survivor's past stars who you won't be seeing? Those who were not invited to this newly crafted ring of Survivor elite? Three contestants who survived all of their tribal councils will not be here. They are the winner's of Survivor Pearl Islands, Thailand and Marquesas: Sandra Diaz-Twine, Brian Heidik and Vecepia Towery, respectively.
JP: It’s very tough deciding whether winners should get an instant invite. In the case of someone like Vecepia, name a Vecepia moment. Name one memorable moment about Vecepia. That's not to say she's not a great player. She won.
TS: Of the non-winners, the biggest no-show may be Mike Skupin, the guy who, after falling into a fire pit in the Outback, became the only contestant unable to complete the game. How do you not pick somebody like that?
MB: Well, everybody was not completely available in their life. I mean, it was a big thing to give up eight weeks. I’m not saying I would have put Skupin in, but I happen to know that it wasn't really possible with his current life.
TS: Two contestants who were pursued but declined are Colleen Haskell, who went on to star in a feature film soon after season one... and Elisabeth Filarski, now Elisabeth Hasselbeck, the new co-host on ABC's The View.
Elisabeth: I just thought I did it. It was done, part of my life. Time to move on.
TS: But with so many great contestants to choose from, how did producers know when to stop?
MB: I could have had 24 people here and it would have been a great game. But there comes a time where in the real estate, the amount of television time, how many characters you can tell a story of? And 18, is the outer limits. Of those 18, 4 are winners, all of whom share relatively low odds of a repeat victory. I think all of the winners, especially Richard, have targets on their backs. No one made them come. They chose to come. I'm not going to level any playing field. The true sign of a champion: be a champion. Don't hide it, and still play better than the others.
TS: Here at the art department where challenges are designed and built, there is a lot of pressure to find new ways to test the game's best players.
Jon Kierhoffer (Survivor Challenges Producer): They're the All Star personalities from the show. The challenges will be as tough as any we've ever done.
JK: We decided the only thing appropriate would be to choose our favorite challenges from the previous 7 seasons and pump them up a little bit.
JK: So the first All-Star challenge will be a repeat of the first Survivor challenge ever: "The Quest For Fire". But while the game may look familiar to the Survivors, the pressure to prove their all-star status may be the toughest challenge of all.
JP: They are the All-Stars. All they talk about is: "We're the best" They're going to prove it this time. And it wont be easy.
Julie Chen: You can catch the premiere of "Survivor: All-Stars" this Sunday on CBS right after the Super Bowl. And don't forget to watch The Early Show Monday morning to get all the dirt and details from the first all star sent packing.
Email this topic to a friend
Printer-friendly version of this topic
Bookmark this topic (Registered users only)
