‘Survivor’: Castaways gather to party, celebrate show’s 10-year anniversary
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It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since ‘Survivor’ first began airing. Back then, no one could have imagined the effect the show would have on the world of reality television — or that it would be able to survive the ever-changing tastes of modern-day television audiences.
‘I think the relationship we have with millions of Americans [is amazing]--they think that Thursdays at 8 o’clock is ‘Survivor,’ ‘ executive producer Mark Burnett said, marveling at the show’s success.
Burnett and CBS are celebrating the show’s 20th season by bringing back 20 contestants to compete on ‘Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains,’ which will begin airing Feb. 11. On Saturday, all of the players who will be featured in the upcoming season as well as hundreds of their old tribe mates — including the original final four from the first season of ‘Survivor: Borneo’ — gathered at CBS’s Television City to commemorate the landmark.
Guests were given classic ‘Survivor’ buffs as they entered the tropical-themed party, where bartenders served drinks under a straw hut and waitresses offered up island-inspired food.
Russell Hantz, who came in second to Natalie White on the most recent season still appeared bitter over his loss. He signed up to appear on ‘Heroes vs. Villains’ with only 10 days of down time between the two seasons. And he has a unique advantage on the new season — he’s the only player whom the other contestants haven’t been able to watch play the game on television.
So does this mean he’s going to be pulling out the same tactics, like searching for hidden immunity idols without clues?
‘I’m not gonna stop playing the game. Production can’t be that stupid and hide ‘em somewhere simple because all you gotta do is look around,’ he said. ‘This season I’m just gonna start looking as soon as I get there, and I bet you [the others] don’t, because nobody thinks about it. I just want to make them all look like babies.’
After the jump: more interviews with contestants such as Parvati Shallow and Boston Rob, the show’s host Jeff Probst and executive producer Mark Burnett.
Host Jeff Probst:
Executive producer Mark Burnett:
Parvati Shallow (‘Cook Islands,’ ‘Micronesia’):
Jerri Manthey (‘Australia,’ ‘All-Stars’):
Boston Rob (‘Marquesas,’ ‘All-Stars’):
Coach (‘Tocantins’):
For more interviews with cast members like James ‘JT’ Thomas Jr. (‘Tocantins’) and Rupert Boneham (‘Pearl Islands and ‘All-Stars’) that we couldn’t fit here, check out our YouTube page.
--Amy Kaufman (follow me on Twitter @AmyKinLA)
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