No Picture
Reality TV

Survivor: China: Week 1 Recap: Mmmmm — Tastes Like …

Yesterday on … Survivor: After being whisked from Shanghai and through the Chinese countryside, the contestants arrive at a 400-year-old temple and go through a Buddhist welcome ceremony (well, most of them go through it — Leslie the Christian talk show host decides that despite assurances that the ceremony isn’t worship, she can’t participate. I’ve gotta say: When a decision involves weighing Jeff Probst’s assurances on one side against the stirring in your soul on the other, I’d go with the soul-stirring, too.). Courtney, the petite New York City waitress who looks like a cross between Gwen Stefani and Winona […]

No Picture
Reality TV

Survivor: China: Probst Tells All!

Well, he didn’t reveal everything during a recent conference call with reporters, but Jeff Probst (who I affectionately call “the hobst with the mobst”) did share his thoughts on the upcoming season of Survivor, as well as on the reality genre in general. It sounds like this season of Survivor has a lot of “est”s — not only is the setting the China-est (this was the first time an American series was allowed to shoot entirely in China), but it also has contestants who are the biggest (James), the smallest (Courtney) and the youngest (Frosti). But the two contestants I’m […]

No Picture
Reality TV

Survivor: China: It’s Coming!

Survivor: China begins in a week! Whoo-hoo! Well, it’s kind of a subdued “whoo-hoo” right now. Every season, I start off a little detached and unenthusiastic about Survivor, not really wanting to expend the energy getting to know another group of 16 (or more) people. But even just looking at the CBS website, I’m starting to get sucked in yet again. First off, I love that they’re back down to 16 people (at least I assume they are, barring another “Bobby Jon and Stephenie appear on the top of Mayan ruins”-type trick that started off the Guatemalan season). After years […]