Surviving Survivor

  The first cycle of Survivor started in Summer 2000. Richard Hatch won that cycle. He explains that the key to winning Survivor is all about knowing who you are. He also was able to read the other players well in order to be able to win their support at the end. At the beginning of the game, he was not sure who to trust. So, he decided just to watch everyone interact. But he was confident and cocky that he will win. He decided to make up his own rules as he went along in the game. He is known for being a “mental mind” game player. Where is he after Survivor? After he lost a battle with the IRS, he spent 51 months in federal prison.

Benjamin “Coach” Wade says that he was in tremendous physical pain when he was playing Survivor. The game is all about testing people’s endurance and survival skills.

Russell Hantz says that the games were stressful because they test people’s strength and endurance.

Jerri Manthey feels that the harsh storms really gave her a hard time. She couldn’t handle all the flash floods, pouring rain and lightening that she really considered quitting. But she is not a quitter, and she decided to persevere.

Cirie Fields and Colby Donaldson both feel that the key to playing Survivor is being able to get a fire started. They need a fire for everything, whether cooking, staying warm, or having light in the nighttime hours.

Tom Westman says that they were always starving. There was never enough food around. His starvation and determination to get some food helped him kill a shark. Other players say that the first week on Survivor is always the worst because they feel depressed trying to get used to their situation. They become so hungry that they are willing to eat anything, whether bugs, rats, snakes, or whatever Jeff Probst offers them in the food challenge. They were willing to eat all kinds of weird food that they would never have considered eating when they were in civilization.

Many of the players had a hard time dealing with bug and mosquito bites. Some of these bites left permanent scars on their bodies. The hygiene was also a problem. There was no shampoo, toothpaste, mouthwash, or soap, and they always stunk.

But the Survivor game always reveals the true character or nature of a person. Rupert Boneham was the most likeable character on Survivor because he has a good heart. After he won some money for being most liked character on his cycle, he used the money in his program to help street kids make something out of their lives by giving them a chance instead of locking them up. His motto is giving back to society.

The mind games on Survivor cause 75% of the stress. While the contestants struggle to live together on their campsite, they constantly live in paranoia. They each don’t trust anyone, which leads to loneliness. Whether alone in exile island or at the campsite, most of the players learn to make most of their time there. Ben Wade did meditation and yoga, which gave him peace.

Although it is very hard to trust anyone and they tend to be lonely, they still agree that they need to make alliances in order to win the game.

There is also love on Survivor. Two couples met and fell in love on Survivor. Rob and Amber are now married and they have a daughter. Ethan and Jenna are currently in a relationship together. But Ethan got cancer, and he is currently in remission as he does stem cell transplant.

The most popular aspect of the show is the show itself. It has attracted over 52 million viewers each season. And, people all over the world enjoy watching Survivor. Many people who watch it are very passionate about the show and the characters that it keeps them coming back for more. The show has been so popular that it has been spoofed and imitated on other television shows. Survivor has changed the media industry to create a whole new genre of television. It has changed network television. Reality shows have taken over television. Most people are attracted to reality shows like Survivor because it shows true and honest emotions, personalities and behaviors. It seems real, and many people can relate with what they see. Other reasons why people are attracted to the Survivor Reality Show are the exotic locations, the strategies, and the game tends to be very unpredictable. Each cycle of Survivor is different because each player has to be creative and think of different ways to deal with many crazy personalities that are dumped together in the middle of nowhere.

Elizabeth Hasselbeck, who is now on The View, was 23 when she was on Survivor. She was designing shoes for Puma, and she had never considered a job on television. But she says that she loves her job on The View, and designing will always be a part of her life.

Being in tribal council creates a lot of tension for the players because they know someone will be voted out. So, it turns out to be similar to a court system, where players defend their actions. In order to get down to the truth, they all end up arguing together. Jeff Probst controls them by putting them in line. But he also tries to get as much information out of them by seeing their weakness as well as an open door in order to go for the jugular and expose them. Richard Hatch claims that if he was put in such a situation, he would always lie his way out of it.

On February 11, 2010, Survivor: Heroes versus Villains: Redemption will air on CBS, at 8:00 PM, Pacific Time.

The Heroes Team include Colby Donaldson, 35, Stephenie LaGrossa, 29, James Clement, 32, Tom Westman, 45, Cirie Fields, 39, Rupert Boneham, 45, Amanda Kimmel, 24, Candice Woodcock, 27, James “JT” Thomas Jr, 25, and Jessica “Sugar” Kiper, 29.

The Villains Team include Jerri Manthey, 38, Parvati Shallow, 27, Ben “Coach” Wade, 38, Russell Hantz, 37, Tyson Apostol, 30, Courtney Yates, 28, Danielle DiLorenzo, 26, Randy Bailey, 50, Rob Mariano, 33, and Sandra Diaz-Twine, 34.

With all the pain, hunger, exhaustion, scheming, drama, and tribal council, past Survivor players are coming back for the 20th season of Survivor to compete again for a million dollars. Some ask, why do they want to go through that again? It is all about the game. They genuinely enjoy playing this game as well as they want another chance to win a million dollars.