Change is name of game in 'Survivor'

By John Kiesewetter
Cincinnati Enquirer

Robb Zbacnik is one of the 16 "Survivor" castaways hoping to win the $1-million prize. CBS 'Survivor' The series returns i this time in Thailand. 7 tonight CBS

"Right out of the gate, something very, very different is going to happen," promises executive producer Mark Burnett about the "Survivor: Thailand" premiere tonight on CBS. "The first act is very, very different."

What could it be? Internet sites are buzzing with speculation that the 16 castaways — eight men and eight women — will be split by sex into two camps (or teams?) for the first time.

"It looks like this version initially begins with all-male and all-female tribes," says TV Guide about the competition, CBS' fifth "Survivor," shot on the hot, humid jungle island of Tarutao off the southwest coast of Thailand.

Burnett won't talk about it. Obviously, he's trying to outwit his fans — and the "spoiler" Web sites — as the 16 contestants try to outwit, outplay and outlast each other for $1 million.

Unlike the four previous "Survivors," CBS wouldn't provide preview tapes to TV critics, or reveal the names for the two tribes.

"I can't talk about the names of the tribes, or whether there are two tribes," says Johanna Fuentes, a "Survivor" publicist for CBS.

Changes are in store for fans of "Survivor," which ranked as the No. 4 series ("Survivor: Marquesas") and No. 5 ("Survivor: Africa") series last TV season.

"We're changing the order of things," says Burnett. "You'll find it's not what it used to be — so predictable."

Viewers will see new challenges. Sometimes the "immunity challenges" — games that give the winner a free pass from being voted off the island — are conducted before the "reward challenges" for food, supplies, personal hygiene items and other perks, he says.

"I'm making a TV show for 20 million people a week to watch," he says. "We have that core audience — no matter who's on 'Friends' or what else is on — and what keeps them on their toes is the unpredictability."

And if the viewers don't know what to expect, imagine how the 16 contestants — ages 23 to 60 — left on Tarutao, a former political prison site turned into a national park, felt.

"On a day to day basis, they don't know what to expect," Burnett says. "One day, we might do the reward challenge, immunity challenge and tribal council all in one day."

The castaways go long stretches without receiving any "tree mail," the rhyming messages from Burnett's staff informing them about competitions.

"They start to freak out and wonder. 'What's going on? Have they forgotten about us?"' he says. "I really love the game. I want people playing the game. It may be in tough conditions, they may be cold and hungry, but that's what they signed up for. I want to keep it fresh," he says.

It appears that this latest installment could be a combination of the previous two installments.

The extreme physical conditions of "Survivor: Africa" might pale in comparison to Tarutao's 115-degree heat, 90 percent humidity, deadly 14-foot king cobra snakes, interminable monsoons and the nasty dengue fever from mosquito bites causing rashes, fevers, sweating, vomiting, headaches and paralyzing joint pain.

The lush jungle setting and attractive collection of sexy hard bodies on "Survivor 5" could remind viewers of "Survivor: Marquesas," which concluded in May.

Again, without talking specifics — because he never does — Burnett concedes that "the weather was certainly a factor."

When asked about the cast, Burnett calls it his best-looking group yet. But he always says that. "You see their pictures on camera, facially — these people look better than any other ('Survivor')," he says.

Then he hastens to add that he just doesn't pick the prettiest people from CBS' estimated 50,000 applicants. "You can't get three months of riveting TV with only pretty faces," he says. "If they can't speak, I'm dead."

Six of the 16 have Texas ties — four live in the Lone Star state, and two were born there. Two each are from New York and Louisiana; none are from the Midwest. Half of the cast is age 23-30; half is 33-60. There are two blacks and one Asian American.

Burnett says "every person has a lot of complex characteristics." That's a new twist on his favorite phrase, when he would describe every other past contestant as an "interesting character."

His formula, though, never varies. He mixes together strong-willed control freaks, turns up the heat and watches them boil over.