Home Theater Forum › Home Theater Forum › Entertainment › TV Programming › Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

post #1 of 255
9/1/07 at 3:14pm
Thread Starter 
Survivor:China (a.k.a. Survivor #15) begins on September 20, 2007. This is the place to discuss it. The Official site for this program is here and the HTF Survivor:China Top Ten Challenge thread (entries start on September 27th although you can indicate interest now) is located here.

Let the games begin....
Reply
post #2 of 255
9/14/07 at 9:38am

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

This might be a bit interesting. I'm familiar with two of the contestants (Jean-Robert and Ashley). It was my understanding that Burnett and Co. approached both parties (Jean-Robert personally and Ashley via the WWE).
Not sure how they got the other recruits, but maybe it's the same way.

Seems like they're again, trying a differnt approach to the game.
Reply
post #3 of 255
9/19/07 at 10:42pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

Reminder: The action begins tonight (9/20). See the separate thread for our HTF Top Ten Challenge! The winner will receive some HD discs (prize to be determined). You've got to be in it to win it.

Reply
post #4 of 255
9/20/07 at 6:00pm

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

"Damn!!!!"

Oh my god - that was way to funny!

I don't like that the last several season's premieres are only an hour - but at least it does'nt drag.

A good premiere, although I'd like to know more about the characters.

+ for James - Reminds me of Duncan in "Green Mile"
- for Courtney
+ for Todd
- for Jean-Robert
+ for Frosti
+ for Ashley
- for Chicken
/ for Aaron
/ for Dave

Meh for the rest
Reply
post #5 of 255
9/20/07 at 6:11pm

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

It does not bode well when two of the most interesting characters of the new season are up for eviction on the first show. Fortunately the eventual evictee was obvious from the moment the tribe lost the immunity challenge.
Best
Greg
Reply
post #6 of 255
9/20/07 at 7:35pm

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

This is the first time I have been able to watch this show with my new HD TV. I was shocked to see that Survivor wasn't shown in HD here, or at least not in widescreen. Is survivor not HD?

The only comment I have about the episode was about how rude the ditzy blond NY waitess was in the temple. She and the "not religous" jesus lover were very rude. It doesn't matter if you have the same beliefs as your hosts, you should still be respectfull of them.
Reply
post #7 of 255
9/20/07 at 8:00pm

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

Too many cameras needed to fully upgrade to HD, so both Survivor and The Amazing Race are still shot in 4:3 AR.
Reply
post #8 of 255
9/20/07 at 8:08pm

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

Yeah.....I really can't stand Courtney. Constantly rolling her eyes at every little thing and totally disrespectful at the temple. I can see a lot of conflict ahead for this arrogant little............well....you can fill in the rest.

Great opening for this edition. Looking forward to next week.
Reply
post #9 of 255
9/20/07 at 8:53pm

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

I almost always seem to disagree with the HTF crowd when it comes to Survivor and Amazing Race, so surprise surprise, I loved Courtney--I thought she was hysterical. (At least, her quotes were; I wouldn't say her mannerisms at the temple were totally disrespectful, but yeah, she should have tried to be better about that.)

Best premiere since Palau I'd say. Love that they're back to 16.
Reply
post #10 of 255
9/20/07 at 9:03pm

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott-S
This is the first time I have been able to watch this show with my new HD TV. I was shocked to see that Survivor wasn't shown in HD here, or at least not in widescreen. Is survivor not HD?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick Sun
Too many cameras needed to fully upgrade to HD, so both Survivor and The Amazing Race are still shot in 4:3 AR.

Frankly, I'm surprised, too. HD Cameras should be affordable for the Tiffany network--especially for a show that is one of its top-rated efforts. The prices on the cameras are dropping every day. Hell, even if they moved to HD cameras that weren't top-of-the-line, I would suspect the product would still look better than what's is being put on the air now.

How many prime-time shows do you suppose will air in the 2007/8 TV season in standard definition?

The show makes a lot of money. Mark Burnett & CBS should invest some of it back into the program. Imagine how stunning both Survivor and The Amazing race would look in HD. They are, in fact, the perfect shows for the format--considering the exotic locales.

Shame on CBS. They should be embarrassed.
Reply
post #11 of 255
9/20/07 at 9:03pm

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

I second the thought that this was best premiere since Palau. The twists these past few seasons have gotten rather monotonous... exile island, division by race... and the killer of them all, one rich and one poor tribe... for so long the twists would completely dominate the shows which had comparatively dull casts full of models and hollywood wanabees... That's how US Big Brother operates.

Survivor at its best allows the drama of the 16 play out naturally with little interference, just a tad maybe from the twists. All the exile islands and hidden immunity idols really detracted from my POV from the real thrill of the game. Instead of playing person against person, you're playing a game of 'who has the idol?'

I'm glad to see the show is returning to its roots of exotic locations, and straight forward free for all Survivor! Great cast...and already the first boot was heartbreaking to see.
Reply
post #12 of 255
9/20/07 at 9:07pm

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Joseph J.D
Great opening for this edition. Looking forward to next week.

Quote:
Originally Posted by AnthonyC
Best premiere since Palau I'd say. Love that they're back to 16.

I agree this was a great opener. It left me wanting to know more about the cast.

It seems to me like the HTF crowd moans about the first few weeks and how uninteresting the cast is. We then all seem to "get religion" about halfway through and remark about how things are picking up and it is shaping into one of the best seasons ever. I would say to have such a strong premiere bodes well for the rest of the season.
Reply
post #13 of 255
9/21/07 at 4:39am

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

Will the older tribe members ever learn to just keep thier mouths shut and not have to go on and on about the "young'ins"? Chicken's personality was great for the show and would have provided some comic relief further on, but he could just not shut up.
Reply
post #14 of 255
9/21/07 at 5:44am

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

I have to admit to being glad Chicken is gone - I really couldn't understand half of what he said. The combination of his accent and soft, relatively high-pitched voice made for one hard-to-get guy.

Agreed that Courtney was the stereotypical ugly American in the Buddhist temple. While Leslie might have angered some, she gave it a shot but had to go with what she felt was right. Courtney was just a rude b**ch. I'm not saying I even like Leslie, but she seemed to be more interested in people and giving the experience a shot than Courtney.

It'll be interesting watching Dave and PG struggle for leadership. I thought it was funny and wince-worthy, watching both of them claim leadership while no one else really backed them or seemed glad to have a "leader."

The poker player should have brought some suspenders.

Was it just me, or did Probst seem kind of bored in the opening? I know he recently re-upped with the show, but he also had gone on record saying the traveling was very wearying and he was getting tired of it.
Reply
post #15 of 255
9/21/07 at 6:35am

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

You know what always kills me? On every show they make the contestants leave behind their personal belongings. Why do they always where the most inappropriate clothing for the outdoors?

Unless the producers always dupe the contestants as to when the show is really going to start. I would be walking around with layers of clothes on, including a bathing suit. You would think the girls would wear bikinis under their clothes.
Reply
post #16 of 255
9/21/07 at 6:47am

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael:M
Was it just me, or did Probst seem kind of bored in the opening? I know he recently re-upped with the show, but he also had gone on record saying the traveling was very wearying and he was getting tired of it.

I work in a friggin cubicle 5 days a week without a window......and this guy's getting tired of travelling to exotic places around the world for huge pay? Where do I sign up?

Regarding Chicken's departure, I was actually surprised by that. I would have thought that PG would have gotten the boot because of her really bossy nature. Then again, Chicken was really non-comittal in his attitude....his constant refusal to give an opinion on anything regarding what to do next really started to get annoying after awhile.
Reply
post #17 of 255
9/21/07 at 6:52am

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

I've read that they do tell the contestants different stories such as: we're going to do a photo shoot...or, the game's not going to start for another couple days so we are just traveling from Point A to Point B when they slam them with "game is on."

BUt...c'mon people. This is the 15th season. Let's get a clue and be prepared.

==========================

I also agree that it's nice to shed all the baggage that has accumulated over the seasons: Exile Island, immunity idols, three tribes, four tribes, and other gimmicks and just get back to a manageable two tribes and a straight-up game of Survivor.

I thought I read, though, that immunity idols would be a part of this season. Something about them "being right out in plain sight."


==========================

Oh. And a two-hour season premiere really WAS called-for. Especially considering how the programs which followed were still in re-runs. Tough to jam the first three days into 45 minutes or so. Longer shows early-on would REALLY help with character development.
Reply
post #18 of 255
9/21/07 at 7:48am

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

I think there are two reasons it is not in HD yet. First, CBS is really cheap. Second, I think they are saving it as a marketing tool, for when they feel that Survivor is on its last legs. I think they figured that China was interesting enough to draw people in for one more season, but they better make it HD for the next one, or it will really stand out against all the HD shows out there. This is the only Non Hd show I watch, and it is painful.
Reply
post #19 of 255
9/21/07 at 8:30am

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

Quote:
I thought I read, though, that immunity idols would be a part of this season. Something about them "being right out in plain sight."

Yep, the big twist is that the winners of the reward challenge kidnap a member of the losing tribe who gives a note to one player of their choice informing them of the hidden idol. Hopefully it'll pay off post-merge and maybe we won't see a Pagonging.

Quote:
Oh. And a two-hour season premiere really WAS called-for. Especially considering how the programs which followed were still in re-runs. Tough to jam the first three days into 45 minutes or so. Longer shows early-on would REALLY help with character development.

Absolutely. I can understand why they don't do it in the spring since in February sweeps, you want to have CSI on there (although with Survivor: Amazon in spring 2003, they did a 90-minute premiere and then a 90-minute CSI), but come on, for the fall season, they might as well extend it. I'd actually love for the second and third episodes to be extended too, but I'd settle for just the premiere at this point.
Reply
post #20 of 255
9/21/07 at 8:43am

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

Agree that this was the best premiere in quite some time. (Which one was the pirate-themed Rupert one? - that is the best premiere that Survivor ever had)
Looking forward to see how James does. Strong guy so he will definitely last until merge but with his lack of social skills, how long will he last after that? Or will he learn social interaction tricks real quick? Or is it all a facade to get further ahead in the game?
Reply
post #21 of 255
9/21/07 at 8:55am

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

I've watched 30 minutes of the 1st episode and I"m already hooked a bit. Can't get enough of this show (all other reality shows make my brain hurt).

Looks like a very good cast (if not a carefully chosen cast, divided up carefully as well). The poker player looks like a winner. I got my eye on him.

Why on earth did that woman leave during the ceremony? Idiot. I'd vote her off toot sweet. And the thin blond girl who was whining (not openly to everyone) would probably be close behind if she got too vocal.

I question whether "chicken" has ever seen the damn show before. The 2 basic rules are to not be the leader and not to annoy everybody by bossing them around.
Reply
post #22 of 255
9/21/07 at 9:16am

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

Quote:
I would be walking around with layers of clothes on, including a bathing suit.

Probst was on Regis and Kelley this week and said that people have worn extra clothing but they perform a complete strip search before the game starts.
Reply
post #23 of 255
9/21/07 at 10:55am

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

Interesting.
Reply
post #24 of 255
9/21/07 at 2:48pm

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Radioman970
Looks like a very good cast (if not a carefully chosen cast, divided up carefully as well).

Yes. We were talking about that in our house. Having the producers divvy up the teams is not nearly as fun...but I suppose it gives them a chance to make some interesting match-ups that might be lost otherwise.

Quote:
Originally Posted by alan halvorson
Probst was on Regis and Kelley this week and said that people have worn extra clothing but they perform a complete strip search before the game starts.

Reply
post #25 of 255
9/21/07 at 3:45pm

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

that crack whore looking waitress from NY has got to go. She keeps talking about "no one in NY is like this", I say...send her back.

Early on I was thinking the wrestler was going to be irritating but she turned out to be okay - kind of a bummer that she got sick the second day
Reply
post #26 of 255
9/21/07 at 6:27pm

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Frezon
Yes. We were talking about that in our house. Having the producers divvy up the teams is not nearly as fun...but I suppose it gives them a chance to make some interesting match-ups that might be lost otherwise.

Gotta disagree with this--even though the show is usually strongest post-merge anyway, the tribal stages always seem to be better with producer-picked tribes (for my money, Africa has the best pre-merge of any season). The ones that had pick'ems early on (first three eps):
-Thailand (ep1). Pre-merge is actually stronger than the majority of post-merge here, but the tribes ended up being essentially old vs. young, which took away a lot of conflict.
-Palau (ep1). We all know what happened here--it was entertaining for sure but one tribe dominated and the other never won an immunity challenge.
-Panama (ep2). Great season, but practically all of the entertaining players were on the same team, so when they didn't have to go to Tribal, the episodes dragged.
-Cook Islands (ep3). Season was slow and conflict-free (besides Cao Boi) until the mutiny.
-Fiji (ep1). Not necessarily the pick'em's fault, but the haves/have-nots twist made the tribes even less balanced than Palau.

I do wish All-Stars had begun with a pick'em though; they deliberately put past friends/potential allies on opposing tribes which makes sense but I think ended up being a mistake.
Reply
post #27 of 255
9/21/07 at 6:37pm

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by alan halvorson
Probst was on Regis and Kelley this week and said that people have worn extra clothing but they perform a complete strip search before the game starts.

Well then, it would be best to wear the worst clothes to all the pre-game events (photo-ops, etc.).....who cares about image in this game. At least you'd be ready for anything.
Reply
post #28 of 255
9/21/07 at 7:49pm

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by AnthonyC
Gotta disagree with this--

Sounds to me like you actually agree, Anthony!

My point was that the pick-'ems themselves are fun...but having the producers make the picks usually works out for the best.
Reply
post #29 of 255
9/21/07 at 8:06pm

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

My bad!

Another thing I know we both agree on--when are we gonna see another season released on DVD already? Come on, bring on Africa and Marquesas!
Reply
post #30 of 255
9/21/07 at 9:09pm

Re: Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by AnthonyC
Another thing I know we both agree on--when are we gonna see another season released on DVD already? Come on, bring on Africa and Marquesas!

Indeed we do. I wonder what happened to all those rumors about sets being in the works? (although that's a discussion for another thread that's already underway.) It would seem to me that maybe they would at least want to get sets of the most recent shows out just before the new season starts. That seems to working for a lot of currently running series now. Both events tend to cross-promote each other.

=====================

Back on topic: my wife wants it on record that she doesn't like Ashleigh (the wrestler)! She finds her to be quite an annoying character. I, OTOH, figure she will probably become quite a formidable player in this game with her background in the entertainment world (a reason NOT to hand-pick contestants like that). Also, I figure she should be quite strong in the challenges which require physical strength and dexterity.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: TV Programming
Home Theater Forum › Home Theater Forum › Entertainment › TV Programming › Survivor: China (Survivor #15) Discussion Thread