the tribe has spoken
Vol. 01 A magazine all about the TV show Survivor
TABLE OF 05 06 14 17 23 29 34 38
CONTENTS
Survivor Infographic Ranking Survivor Locations Waiting for Survivor in a Pandemic designing survivor part one Being a Survivor with Ethan Zohn Designing survivor part two Interview with Tony VLACHOS ROB HAS A PODCAST THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN
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Survivors Ready?
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GO
THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN
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RANKING the
survivor seasons
by their
Location
Some of the best fun of Survivor comes from all of the locations it’s visited, but which of the nearly 20 locations are the best? Survivor would make for a far less interesting show if it just sent players of the game somewhere within the continental United States. That’s not to say that the U.S. doesn’t have some interesting locations, but some of the appeal is getting a look at Americans spending time in nature that isn’t something you’d see every day. A good location on Survivor can help shape the entire season, from the theme down to what sorts of things we can see during camp life scenes. Now, to avoid making this too easy, we’ve focused more on how the location impacted the season, though that doesn’t mean that the quality of the season itself plays absolutely no factor. Not every good season necessarily has a good location, though, and good locations have been used on perhaps mid- or even low-tiered seasons. The following list primarily focuses on how each season filmed there utilized the filming site’s local history, how the surroundings impacted the season itself, and even just how pretty each location was. That all being said, let’s get right to it.
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18 17 16
The Marquesas NICARAGUA Islands Seasons: Nicaragua, Redemption Island, San Season: Marquesas
Even Jeff Probst himself has said he never wants to go back to these French Polynesian islands ever. Interestingly, they actually had to use them as a replacement because of the situation at the time. It’s fairly well-known that the show had plans to film in Jordan, but, since this took place right around September 11, 2001, things had to move to the Marquesas Islands.
Unsurprisingly, the show hasn’t returned to the islands since. The most major problem would be the no-no flies that plagued each camp, which resulted in some nasty bug bites for all of the castaways. We did hear the castaways even complaining about them multiple times on the show. Bug bites are basically part and parcel of the survival aspect of the game, so for them to be considered so bad that the show literally never wants to return means that yes, they really were that bad. However, that doesn’t mean that the island of Nuku Hiva wasn’t beautiful; the New York Times reports that it was made from two volcanoes, which is pretty cool in and of itself. At the same time, though, footage from Marquesas is very much from the early 2000s, so it makes it hard to appreciate the natural beauty.
Juan Del Sur, Worlds Apart
Part of the reason Nicaragua ranks here on this list is because of how many themed seasons take place here. Look back up at that list: Redemption Island, San Juan del Sur, and Worlds Apart all have very specific themes to them that override the sort of impact the country and its history could have had on the seasons filmed there. Even Nicaragua had a sort of theme to it — Espada and La Flor, the original two tribes, were divided by age, in a not-great repeat of the four-tribe starter from Panama.
Of course, seasons like San Juan Del Sur did feature the return of the Survivor ambassador reward, one of the coolest rewards that usually happens in the post-merge phase, but all in all, Nicaragua feels like one of the more generic locations that Survivor has ever visited. It doesn’t help that the country is one of the few that has seen Survivor return four times. Granted, it does also give us the “Boston Rob throws a clue into a volcano” moment during Redemption Island, but that doesn’t move this list up much further than second from the bottom.
SAMOA
Seasons: Samoa, Heroes vs. Villains, South Pacific, One World
Samoa, like Nicaragua, has played host to four seasons of Survivor, and like Nicaragua, most of its seasons are themed. In fact, most of the Samoan seasons are also not very good, like Nicaragua. So why does it rank slightly higher than Nicaragua as a location? Well, first, Samoa does manage to have slightly more interesting themes between Heroes vs. Villains and One World, even if One World did not turn out quite as well. Additionally, in the event of a tie, we decided to look at season quality instead of drawing rocks. Since Heroes vs. Villains is one of the best seasons of Survivor ever, at least to our way of thinking, it elevates the location beyond Nicaragua. It also made sure to bring in the local history of author Robert Louis Stevenson — you’ll recall Heroes vs. Villains visited the museum as a reward. Incidentally, there’s actually a resort being built where Samoa was filmed, based very heavily on the fact that the season was filmed there. Notably, though, Survivor hasn’t returned to Samoa since One World. It’s tough to shake the impression that the series realizes that the location may be a bit played out, and, well, there may be some bad memories there.
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15 14 13
The PHILIPPINES
FIJI
Seasons: Philippines, Caramoan, Blood vs. Water, Cagayan
Seasons: Fiji, Millennials vs. Gen X, Game Changers to present
Granted, these four seasons technically filmed in two separate locations in the Philippines. However, by this time, Survivor had started filming back-to-back, a tradition it’s continued to the present day.
Call this a case of recency bias, because Fiji, like Samoa, the Philippines, and Nicaragua, has become a go-to location for Survivor. However, it’s also the most recent of the locations.
We’ll start with the Caramoan Islands in the country, which played host for the first two of the four seasons. The Caramoans are utterly stunning. Philippines itself is a pretty good season, even if Caramoan isn’t, so that bumps it up a bit.
Fiji moves to the top, however, for its history. If you’ll recall, it led to the very first time players got to leave camp outside of a reward ever in the history of the show for last year’s Millennials vs. Gen X. Survivor has left castaways in seriously heavy rain before, and if the shelter didn’t hold up, it didn’t hold up. It took a literal cyclone for that to change.
Although the country didn’t change for the following two seasons, the location did. Cagayan is actually named after the island it was filmed on. As with the other four-season veterans, it seems like the Philippines have been played out, at least for a while, when it comes to hosting Survivor. Ultimately, they also lose some luster because of the fact that all four of its seasons have themes, including Philippines, which featured three players previously removed from the game. However, with three good-to-great seasons and one not-so-great season, it gets the nod over Samoa and Nicaragua.
Additionally, Fiji also has provided two different locations: the Mamanuca Islands, where Millennials vs. Gen X and Game Changers filmed, but also Vanua Levu, which hosted Fiji. As first noted by Inside Survivor, Jeff Probst has called the country basically the perfect place to film Survivor. Hopefully, the next seasons will use more of the country’s local history instead of always using themes to accompany the breathtaking visuals.
The COOK Islands
Season: Cook Islands
It’s tough to explain the status of the Cook Islands. Essentially, they’re part of New Zealand, but they also govern themselves and are more in “free association” with New Zealand, to cite the Encyclopedia Britannica‘s explanation.
They also have only hosted one season, heavily dominated by its theme of starting the game by dividing people by race. However, the Cooks also provided what may be the very best Exile Island the show has ever produced. Although it wasn’t the first to use the concept itself, it used a shipwreck on a small cay, and that was basically it for shelter. (Panama — Exile Island started the tradition; Cook Islands, which immediately followed it, simply continued.) Additionally, the mast of the shipwreck actually provided part of the clue to finding the Hidden Immunity Idol. Furthermore, local trivia actually played a part in certain challenges, including an early challenge between the tribes in episode 2, where the history of James Cook provided the trivia to answer questions at the end of an obstacle course. That’s always a nice touch, since it makes Survivor vaguely educational in things other than geography and psychology.
12 11 MALAYSIA
VANUATU
Season: Borneo
Season: Vanuatu
With the help of the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, you can actually see the website CBS had for its little reality show that could in 2000, when Survivor first hit the airwaves. (Yeah, we’re now in season 34 of Survivor, and the show could conceivably run for 20 years. If the show were a person, it could probably drive by now.)
Vanuatu reused the gender divide just a few seasons after The Amazon introduced it, but it actually managed to vaguely justify it by starting the game in a village on the islands of fire. We use that term on purpose. If you look closely at the logo for this season, it actually has the subtitle Islands of Fire.
Anyway, the very first summary of the very first episode gives us the location of the first season ever: Pulau Tiga, which is in Malaysia. It is now actually considered a tourist destination, with resorts on the island (that of course mention how the show filmed there). Should this probably rank higher than it does? Well, in some ways, yes. If Survivor had started by filming in Australia, it probably would have meant that every time the show couldn’t find somewhere new, it would likely default to going to somewhere like Australia. Malaysia made the default setting of the show a not-well-populated island, where the producers could dump off 16 or more Americans and have them wear their swimsuits all the time. Could the show ever come back here? It’d be more difficult to do so now, but that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily impossible. If it ever becomes clear that a certain season will be the last, it may result in a return to Pulau Tiga, to end it where it all began.
For a show that’s discussed fire symbolism since its very first episode, one wonders how it took nine long seasons to frame an entire season around them. In fact, the country of Vanuatu probably inspired both the theme and the gender divide, as noted by the Encylopedia Britannica’s article on the island chain: it has both active volcanoes (including Yasur, which named one of the tribes; Lopevi, which inspired the name of the men’s tribe, is its own island and volcano) and culturally tends to put men above women. Britannica notes that men traditionally gather at night without women present. Even the tribal colors of yellow, red, and orange for the initial two tribes and then the merge tribe all suggest flames. In other words, there was a lot of synergy between the location and the contours of the game.
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10 9 kenya
CAMBODIA
Season: Africa
SeasonS: Cambodia, Kaoh Rong
The Shaba National Reserve in Kenya cost approximately $230,000 (per the New York Times) to rent in 2001, when Survivor shot its first season in Africa after visiting Malaysia and Australia in the past two seasons. Presumably, it would cost a lot more to do so should the show try and return again, and there are some pretty good reasons why that probably won’t happen again.
After Caleb’s evacuation during the events of Kaoh Rong, it seems unlikely that Survivor will ever return to this location. Extreme temperatures make it difficult to film, after all.
Well, there’s one really good reason, but since there were multiple animals, it’s safe to use the plural as well. You see, there are and were lions in the Shaba National Reserve. Each camp during the filming of Survivor: Africa actually had thorn fences around it to help prevent animals wandering directly into camp, but one episode, the third of the season, in fact, saw them pay a very close visit to Boran nevertheless. Nothing happened, fortunately, but that kind of danger would probably seem too real for a show that now focuses more on the game being played as opposed to the environment. That same recap also adds in that the tribes had to continuously fortify their own fences. Additionally, it seems like islands and beaches seem more important than the savannah. However, it was pretty cool for what it was when it was filmed.
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However, that doesn’t mean that Cambodia remains one of the more unique locations for Survivor. Although both seasons that took place here had themes — Cambodia also has the name Second Chance, and Kaoh Rong was the second Brains vs. Brawns vs. Beauty season — it’s important to note that both seasons are named after locations. Cambodia is the country itself, and Kaoh Rong, also spelled Koh Rong, is the island on which both seasons were filmed. That’s how much of an impact the conditions in particular had on the game. The opening credits of Cambodia had some wonderful shots of the temples, and it also brought back the storytelling challenge for the eleventh episode’s Reward Challenge. Kaoh Rong ended up focusing more on the gameplay and story throughout the season, but then again, it also included the story of one of the scariest medical evacuations the show has seen in over 30 seasons. That’s enough for Cambodia to crack the top 10 on this list.
876
THAILAND
australia
Season: Thailand
Season: The Australian Outback
Remember how I said that season quality wouldn’t necessarily determine a place’s location on this list? The fact that Survivor: Thailand exists and used Thailand basically explains why.
It seems that it would have been easy for Survivor to stick to putting people on beaches somewhere when it came time to film the second season. Instead, they headed into the Outback, as the second season’s title suggests. Specifically, they headed to Queensland, near the Herbert River. (However, the change in locale didn’t change the ratings. The premiere, which aired directly after the Super Bowl, drew in over 40 million viewers, per USA Today.)
Even Jeff Probst himself does not like Thailand as a season, and it strikes us that you may be hard-pressed to find anyone who does like it. However, the different natural landscapes of the country helped provide some interesting visuals from the word go: the two camps, Chuay Gahn and Sook Jai either lacked a cave or ready access to water, but not both, and the choice of who went where belonged to the eldest players in the cast in a nod to cultural traditions. But perhaps the most memorable part of Thailand, other than Brian Heidik’s general creepiness throughout the season, was its Final Immunity Challenge. The test of endurance returned, but this time, with a special twist: the final three were held in place instead of themselves having to hold positions and had to hold golden coins between their fingers, and it all took place in a cave. Between the mood lighting and the glints of metal, Probst’s usual Final Immunity chats about wanting it more took on a different tone. That’s what makes Thailand a cool season, location-wise. Well, that and the elephants, which featured prominently on the logo.
This didn’t necessarily remove the beach elements from the game — there was a Challenge Beach — but it definitely changed the look and feel of Survivor, paving the way for other seasons like Africa and even Thailand and Cambodia to some extent. Additionally, the game really did get dangerous for the first time here in Australia. Not only did the show have its first medical evacuation, but wildfires were visible from campsites and eventually, a flood actually destroyed the camp of the merge tribe, Barramundi. Add in challenges that featured boomerangs, a trip to the Great Barrier Reef, and tribe names that used Aboriginal words for “kangaroo” and “crocodile,” and then named its merged tribe after a fish, and you also have a Survivor season that really played up where it was.
guatemala
Season: Guatemala Another of the one-time-only locations, Guatemala had possibly the coolest campsite in Survivor, and the show didn’t just hand it over to a lucky tribe. No, the two tribes, Yaxha and Nakum, had to actually hike 11 miles through the jungle to even reach some Mayan ruins during the season premiere. That ended up serving as the camp for both Nakum and then Xhakum, the merged tribe. One wonders how the show even obtained permission to let people live in said ruins. That alone elevates Guatemala as a location, but several challenges also reflected current and ancient culture. (As you can see on the logo of the season, it did have the subtitle of The Mayan Empire.) For instance, in one episode, the challenges were to assemble an archeological tent (current) and then play a modified form of a traditional ball game (ancient). Another episode had players using war clubs. No, they didn’t hit each other with the war clubs, they hit targets. However, it seems like the show does realize that to repeat the ruins experience would likely make it less exciting, since it’s less generic than, say, filming in the Philippines for four seasons in a row. That doesn’t diminish Guatemala’s great location one bit.
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543
palau
brazil
panama
Seasons: Palau, Micronesia
Seasons: The Amazon, Tocantins
Seasons: Pearl Islands, All-Stars, Panama
Palau is a location where the history really informs the theme of a season even more than, say, Guatemala. We’re not talking about Micronesia, either; that season belongs to the returning players who had a great time stabbing each other in the back.
Survivor has only filmed in Brazil twice, but part of the reason it ranks so highly here is because of the wide variation between the two places used. The Amazon gave us the rainforest on the Rio Negro, keeping with the more common jungle and beach theme. Additionally, The Amazon really was all about the gender divide, since it was the first season of Survivor to pull that off. The surroundings were less important than the game being played.
Honestly, one could legitimately put Panama as a location at the top of the list (or close to it) on the strength of the theme of Pearl Islands alone, so we’ve done that here and acknowledged the obvious. Let’s face it: Pirates are really, really cool. Pearl Islands as a season embraced the history of Drake, Morgan, and even Balboa in the names of the three tribes as well as challenges that included cannons as well as starting the game in a local town. A season of Survivor that sets people off and allows for shoestealing is the kind of season we want to watch again and again.
But the first time that Survivor visited Palau, it used a World War II theme, which admittedly made sense (there’d been a battle on one of the islands in 1944). Gone were the usually bright colors, which came as a big surprise right after Vanuatu straight-up used red, orange, and yellow. Instead, Koror and Ulong used brown and blue camouflage patterns, respectively. Unfortunately, we never saw the merge tribe’s buffs thanks to the last Ulong member simply joining Koror. Admittedly, the show reused the locations several years later to film Micronesia. Jeff Probst admitted as much at the time, and also praised the country for being one of his favorite places to film. However, Palau ranks so highly because of its first appearance on the show, not the second, where the theme really influenced all of the trappings of the game.
Meanwhile, Tocantins is basically one of the most landlocked seasons there really is of American Survivor, and it also gave us the iconic shots of Coach standing on hills during his trip to “Exile Island,” which really wasn’t that much of an island, but the name’s traditional, and there’s little Survivor likes more than traditions. The official CBS recap on the first episode pointedly calls the Tocantins “one of the most desolate and unforgiving places in Brazil,” and after several seasons of heading off to different islands, the sudden change of pace was quite refreshing.
It certainly had fine gameplay, as it saw the rise of Sandra Diaz-Twine, the Queen of Survivor per her own admission in Game Changers, but the surroundings themselves helped with that immensely, down to parts of the soundtrack that sounded distinctly piratical when good things happened. Although the other two seasons set in Panama, All-Stars and Panama, had either themes or even subtitles (Panama is also Exile Island, as shown on the season’s logo), the sheer strength of Pearl Islands alone brings this one close to the top.
2 1 GABON
china
Season: Gabon
Season: China
Admittedly, Thailand really spurred the idea that season quality itself is not necessarily a major factor in ranking these locations of Survivor. However, Gabon as a season basically codified it, since it strikes that Gabon is not a season most people think of when they think “truly excellent seasons of Survivor.” (To the fans of Gabon: we hear you.)
Survivor: China admittedly is a great season overall of the show, but a huge factor in that is how well the show used the long history of China to inform its setting. From starting in a Buddhist temple (after a trip through modern Shanghai), to giving the tribes a copy of The Art of War, to a visit to The Great Wall, to even replacing “Outwit, Outplay, Outlast” on the logo with rough equivalents in simplified Chinese, Survivor knew that it had one of the greatest locations ever on its hands and played it to the hilt.
But goodness, Gabon is pretty. The season’s subtitle is Earth’s Last Eden, and it was famously the first season that filmed in HD. Admittedly, the seasons that preceded them, Micronesia and China, would have looked great in high-definition filming as well, but the stunning views of Gabon definitely benefited from the better equipment and justified keeping the show in HD more than Palau or China probably would have. Within the first three days, elephants had already visited one of the camps, and another episode saw the Fang tribe actually take a canoe out to watch an elephant tear a tree down across the river.
Presumably, the show probably won’t return — it seems that Survivor has settled on keeping things beachy for the foreseeable future — and although China isn’t in HD, it’s still one of the best and most visually interesting seasons, and easily the best location the show has ever visited.
Even since 2008, when Gabon filmed, there have been huge leaps forward in the sheer quality of HD equipment. We throw around terms like “Ultra HD” with ease. Can you imagine how Gabon would have looked in Ultra HD? That’s why it makes it to second place on this list. THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN
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Survivor fans may have to wait an
41
entire year
for season
Normally, Survivor would have filmed both seasons set to air for the upcoming television schedule, but COVID-19 has put a halt on that and production might not be able to film until this spring.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has changed life as we know it. The novel virus prevented Survivor from filming seasons 41 and 42 with the 41st season slated to air in the fall and the 42nd season airing in the spring. This has become the schedule we’ve all grown accustom to since early in the show’s run with a season in the fall and another in the spring. Now, according to TVLine, it looks like Survivor won’t be able to film their 41st season until April at the earliest. Production is now said to be returning to its regular schedule, with a possible plan to film seasons 41 and 42 back-to-back between April and July of 2021. This would likely delay new episodes of the CBS reality staple until this time next year, which would result in the longest wait between seasons in franchise history. But even an April start date is, of course, contingent on the state of the pandemic and the Fijian government. As noted in the blurb above, if production can’t film until April, this would result in fans not having new episodes of their favorite show for an entire year, which is the longest gap ever. We had to wait over five months between the show’s first and second season back in 2000 (and leaking into 2001) and then roughly 6 months between season 2 and 3.
After the third season, the show became consistent with having a season air in the fall and then in the spring, so this will be quite the long wait for Survivor fans who are used to waiting no longer than four months for a new season. Jeff Probst mentioned during the Winners at War finale that he and the crew were optimistic about having a season air in the fall, but that quickly changed when CBS removed Survivor from its fall lineup. The Amazing Race will air in its time slot instead (the season was filmed over a year ago and CBS has been waiting to find a time to insert it into its lineup). Survivor has filmed in Fiji since season 33 and their government has closed their borders to non-citizens, which makes it impossible for the entire cast and crew for the next two seasons to enter the country to film. While all of this is still unknown, as of now, it’s looking like the earliest Survivor 41 can film is this April, which would likely air next fall. It’s going to be a loooong offseason, Survivor fans.
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designing survivor part 1
GRAPHIC AND CULTURAL
Design THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN
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After nearly thirty-three seasons on the air, Survivor has developed a base format that has, despite the twists and turns, prevailed over and over again. But, in addition to organizing the on-camera production, Survivor Entertainment Group (SEG) has also perfected the many lesser-recognized elements of the entertainment operation: most notably each season’s theming, design, and logistics.
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In a new multi-part series, we will dive into the creative process behind each of these categories, and investigate why the U.S. Survivor has attained some of the best reality TV production value around (especially compared with other international Survivor installments). This first article will cover the graphic and cultural design of the program, and what methods are employed to enhance each season’s visual appeal.
The Logo One of the most important and recognizable illustrations for each season is its unique logo, which serves as a sort of ID tag to distinguish each production from the last. Starting with the original logo, it clearly reflects the graphic design of the time.
By today’s standards, many would describe it as overly minimalistic, mostly due to the rather generic design elements. Moreover, the inclusion of palm trees and a water flow is attributable to the uncertainty that surrounded the first season’s success. Its universal nature, however, has established it as the most recognized logo in the show, primarily as a result of its use on generic props (i.e. Jeff’s hats). From a different perspective, a time barrier might have also influenced the construction of the first season’s art direction. The original version was completed by Bruce Hollister’s team shortly before the small production crew arrived on location in Pulau Tiga back in February of 2000.
But, during post-production the logo was slightly changed for unknown reasons, spawning the design that we know and love today. The model remained constant for a good nine seasons, that is, before the logos became a bit more complex and sophisticated. In one of Survivor’s more beloved seasons, the art direction traveled to a new level of detail. Survivor: Palau’s graphics are some of the unique in Survivor’s thirty-two season history. Unlike the logos of the previous nine seasons, Palau added depth and dimension and an unprecedented level of detail. For this reason, it has some of the most popular and creative Buff designs around. THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN
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fonts and themes During this time, every season’s theme was fairly obvious—from Pearl Islands’ pirate theme to Guatemala’s Mayan theme to China’s cultural theme. But, Survivor started to enter into repetitive territory after season 18 onwards. Some fans (mostly collectors) were exhausted by the ambiguous and unoriginal themes that defined Survivor’s dark ages (I’m talking to you, South Pacific!). It’s not that surprising, though, as these same seasons are regarded as being bad all around—with their lackluster gameplay and casting. With this, we’ll take a look at what the art department’s intentions were for these seasons by analyzing the fonts used — there must be meaning, right? (Note: not all of these seasons are the “dark ages.” I was just referring to 21-24) As you can see, many of these seasons didn’t have a clearly defined, unique theme like seasons of the past. Many of the themes were repeated, like the numerous iterations of Philippines culture, and the redos of Polynesia and Mesoamerica. The reason for this is mainly due to the repeated locations. After Season 18, Survivor started filming in the same location for back-to-back seasons, primarily for budgetary reasons. Locations such as Samoa, Nicaragua and Philippines were used several times throughout this period. Out of the past twelve seasons, four were filmed in Nicaragua, four in the Philippines (in a row!), and two in Samoa. The art department had a very limited palette to work with due to the repeated locations. It reached a point where, for the fourth consecutive season in the Philippines, in Survivor: Cagayan, the art department decided to forgo the Philippines look and instead adopted Balinese culture, building the sets and props as if they were filming in Indonesia.
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Tribe Colors and Names “What happens next?” you might ask. Usually, tribe colors are determined, and producers look for the best tribe names possible. Sometimes the names correlate to the theme of Survivor – “Outwit, Outplay, Outlast.” For instance, the tribe names in Philippines – Matsing, Tandang, and Kalabaw – mean monkey, rooster, and water buffalo in Tagalog (the language of the Philippines). Each one symbolizes a part of the Survivor motto (monkey for outwit, rooster for outplay, and buffalo for outlast – respectively). A similar design element was used this past season in Kaôh Rōng, with each tribe having an animal insignia on their buffs and tribe flags. The crocodile for Brains, the snake for Beauty, and the tiger for Brawn. On the computer, ethnic patterns are designated for each tribe, and vector-based software is used to design the tribe flags. At the same time, Buff designs are sent to the Buff® Headwear company for printing. Over the last five years, many Buffs have had similar designs; this is attributable to the template used every season. Colors, patterns, and logos are the only changes.
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BEING A SURVIVOR
truly is the ultimate Ethan Zohn Survivor. Not only did he win season 3 of the hit CBS reality show, but the Survivor:
Africa champ also was diagnosed in 2009 with a rare form of cancer called CD20-Positive Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. After intense chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, the cancer went into remission, but returned again in 2011. For a second time, Ethan battled the cancer and won, thanks to another stem-cell transplant and an experimental drug. Now, Ethan is ready to go from kicking cancer’s ass to kicking ass back out on the island as he returns for Survivor’s epic season 40 battle royale, Winners at War. The fact that Ethan is even able to show up and play is a win for both the man and the entire Survivor community who have watched him help raise millions of dollars for the charitable causes like Grassroot Soccer and Stand Up to Cancer, but Ethan is far from satisfied by just showing up. He wants to win…again.
“I didn’t FEEL i’d be
ALIVE LONG enough
to be able to play
SURVIVOR
AGAIN”
EW sat down and spoke with Ethan out in Fiji the day before Survivor: Winners at War began filming to talk about his emotional return to the island, how he prepared like a rookie, his biggest advantage heading into the game, and hoping others don’t “weaponize my cancer and use it against me.” ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Okay, Ethan. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen you on Survivor. Survivor: All-Stars, season 8, was last time you were on, so 16 years ago. Just give everyone the update as to what you’ve been up to, because obviously some pretty recent great news in your life. ETHAN ZOHN: The greatest news on the planet is that I’m a newlywed. I found the love of my life and got married to the wonderful Lisa Heywood, who’s an interior designer. We met in New York City and recently packed it in and moved to the middle of the woods in New Hampshire. That’s amazing. It’s been so long since you played. You were a completely different person then. You’ve been through so much. We know about all the medical difficulties that you’ve been through, you just talked about the fact that you’re married now, got a little gray in your hair. How have you changed as a person and how does that change who you are in the game? ETHAN: Well, it’s funny because I wanted to go back and watch myself again. So I went back and watched Survivor: Africa. I was 27 years old. I hadn’t watched the show since it aired on TV, and there was always people around so I didn’t focus on it. So I went back and I almost didn’t recognize that kid. I was like, “You have no idea what’s about to happen in your life.” I was kind of shy, reserved, innocent and polite. And I thought I had gotten so far away from that and I was a completely different person, but I’m not. At my core, I feel I’m still like a nice guy, I’m compassionate, I’m loyal, I’m empathetic. I was happy to see that I haven’t changed that much. Obviously, things around me have changed and I’ve been through some health challenges, like you said, but part of the reason I’m here is like, I want to like tap into that 27-year-old kid who just said yes to this crazy adventure and just crush this experience out here. This is epic. There was a time where I didn’t feel I’d be alive long enough to be able to play Survivor again. Obviously, I knew that an all-winners season might’ve been around at some point. So I was watching Heroes vs. Villains in my hospital room getting my second stem cell transplant praying, dreaming that I’d stay alive or I’d be healthy enough to come play again, and I’m here. THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN
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It’s amazing. As someone who visited you in the hospital when you were there and knows all the good will for you in the Survivor community because of what a great guy you are and everything you’ve been through, I can’t help but wonder: Does that hurt you in the game? Do you think there could be an element of “Whoa, I can’t sit next to Ethan at the end”? Does all that help you or hurt you? ETHAN: Well, I like to think it helps me, but I see where you’re going with this. In my mind, Survivor is a game of relationships, and if you can connect with people and be comfortable around people, I think they just want to hang out with you, they want to be around you. One of my advantages here is that I don’t think anyone thought I was going to be here. They probably thought I was dead. It was like I walked around the corner and they were like, “Holy crap, Ethan is alive?”
So I don’t think anyone either thought I was here, they probably didn’t research me, and they don’t know how I’m going to play. I played at a time where there was no hidden immunities, no clues, no ways to get back in the game, no blindsides. Right? Right. ETHAN: So they’re like, how is this kid going to play? And if they do know how I’m going to play, they’re going to think, “Ah, he’s a likable, he’s a nice guy, he’s loyal, he’s trusting,” but I’m not. Well, is there a learning curve for you then? Because you just said you re-watched Africa. It’s like a glacial pace then compared to now, you know what I mean? ETHAN: It’s slow TV. People are saying, “It’s going to be like a bicycle.” And I’m like, it’s probably not going to like going from a bicycle to a Harley Davidson filled with rocket fuel. Probst gave a little announcement to everyone. He’s like, “This game is different from all your people who are from the old school era.” So I think it’s an advantage that people aren’t going to know how I play. And the people who say I have a good story, like, “Come on, dude. Are you going to use my cancer against me? I would gladly trade my good story for any of your good stories. I would give you $1 million to trade places with you so you can have my good story. So f— your good stories and let’s play. I’m here, we’re all winners, I’m 45 years old, I’m ready, I’m unstoppable, let’s go! Stop living in the past, right?” So I don’t think it’s fair to weaponize my cancer and use it against me.
I know how much you love this game and how important it is to you. How important is it to you also to use this — as you’ve done so successfully since you were first on the show — as a platform? Because you really are the premiere person that people think about in terms of using the Survivor experience for good, because of everything you have done to give back with Grassroot Soccer. So how important is that to you and how much does that factor into you being here in season 40? ETHAN: It factors in definitely. To put things into perspective, Survivor: Africa was when we had the idea for a Grassroot Soccer, we’re using soccer to teach kids life lessons. Survivor: All-Stars had a thousand kids through the program. Now in 2020, 2.2 million kids have graduated from Grassroot Soccer. So you’re talking about how Survivor has changed lives. Not only did it change my life in a crazy way, it’s changed so many kids’ lives all over the world, we’re in 50 countries now.
So I definitely think about that. I will be wearing a Grassroot Soccer shirt again, of course. And then, because you asked me about the whole cancer thing, the whole reason Survivor’s Stand Up To Cancer exists is because of myself and, unfortunately, Jenn Lyon, who passed away, and Jeff. CBS was nice enough to say, “All right, let’s auction off all the props and donate that to Stand Up To Cancer.” So I think about that, but it’s not my first priority on being here. I’m here to play. This is going to be an incredible epic experience. But there’s a way you can be a winner in this experience without being a winner. I know you want to win, but just by being here with everything personally you’ve been through and everything that you are — the good that you’re doing for other people transcends this experience. ETHAN: Definitely. Yeah, you wrapped that up pretty nicely. This, for me, just sitting here across from you pre-game is an absolute miracle. I shouldn’t be alive right now. So anything that happens after this moment or after day 1…. Sorry, you’re pretty awesome, but I’d like to make it to day 1. I don’t want to die today before the game starts tomorrow. But yeah, it’s pretty awesome. It’s like anything is icing on the cake. It’s a perfect bookend to this crazy life of Survivor that I’ve lived, and at season 40 there’s kind of nothing better. So I’m happy, I’m a little spiritual right now. Obviously I want to win and I’ve prepared. Dalton, I have prepared like a rookie, because I’m watching all these shows and like, I don’t know what’s going on. I’m the oldest guy here, 45 years old, and I’m the oldest male player here. That says something, when I played Africa I was 27. So my wife and I, we moved to a warmer climate. I was walking barefoot to get calluses on my feet. She was hiding idols in the forest. I was swimming, I was doing balancing drills, I was meditating, I was doing puzzles, I was running, lifting weights, I was untying and tying knots. Taking freediving classes so I can hold my breath. Everything I could possibly do to get in the mindset to be here, and this has been for the last 90 days of my life. So I’ve prepared and I’ve tried to like control everything that I feel I can control. On the flip side, I have no idea how to play an idol. I don’t know what the f— a blindside is. I’ve never been in these fast paced games, so I think part of my strategy is I need to find someone in the new school era who can help guide me a little bit. But I am an old school guy. I feel that an
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“It’s an honor to be here”
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Ethan
old school player’s going to win this thing. I feel that like the old school values of trust and loyalty can be applied to this new era. That could just be the old man in me kind of hoping for the best because that’s just my game, but I really think there’s a place for it. It’s interesting because in Game Changers there were a lot of old school players, and that became a theme early on. There was a divide: There was the old school group and there was the new school, and it’s interesting to hear you say that you think those old school values can win the day while also saying you need to find someone from the new school to sort of help each other. ETHAN: Yeah, I look at the way Adam played. He played kind of an old school game. He had a loyal relationship. Parvati, she played with one person all the times she’s played. She was loyal to Russell in the second time, she was loyal to Amanda. So those are old school values in the new school game. You have to have one or two ride or dies. So like that’s my Lex and Tom. You mentioned Adam. Is Adam the guy that you want to work with or is there someone else? ETHAN: I thought about it and he was probably like 10 years old when I was on. You can imagine like, “Oh there’s another Jewish guy on the show I can identify with.” He lost his mom to cancer, he’s a compassionate guy he plays with his heart. That’s someone I can identify with. Does that have value when you got the Robs and the Tysons and the Wendells out there? I don’t know. How much do you know these people, because obviously you and Rob have played together, but in terms of all these new players, have you met these people before through anything? ETHAN: I’ve been off the radar in a good way. I don’t go to any of the events, I haven’t met a new winner in the past 10 years maybe. I look at them on social media, I watch all the shows, but yeah, I know Rob. You have no connections to the others? ETHAN: No connections. I am hoping some old school women show up — like, maybe Tina is here or Parvati or Sandra. I’ve met them. So maybe you can make that bond quickly, but I don’t know. And that could always end up helping or hurting you. How do you think others see you? Not how do you see yourself, but as you make your impressions of them, what do you think their impression of Ethan is? ETHAN: I’m hoping that when I showed up, no one’s really saying like, “Oh my God, Ethan’s a huge threat we got to get that guy off.” That’s what I’m hoping. When you see some of the other faces walking around where they are big threats, and my value is that I don’t think anyone knows how I’m going to play. Everyone else has played more recently, their strategy has been outed. If you’re manipulative or you’re untrustworthy or if you’re big on blindsides, if you find tons of idols, people know that.
People don’t know how I played, and they don’t know how I play with this new era of the game. So I think that’s going to be an advantage, and if they do know something about me, like I said, it’s like, “He’s a nice guy.” And they can probably see a way to work with me because probably just through the philanthropy that you’re talking about and my public image at this all they know of me is like, I’m a nice trusting, compassionate guy, and maybe you want to be around that type of person. [Pauses] You’re like, “Yeah, right.” Well, it’s just a question of if they’re thinking “This is a guy I can trust and work with,” or is it, “This is a guy I can take advantage of.” ETHAN: I’m fine with that. Let them take advantage of me. Or letting them think they’re taking advantage of you. ETHAN: Yeah, let them think they’re taking advantage of me. I’m okay with that. You know me well enough. I’m not the A type personality, the guy who’s going to stand up and bark orders. I’m the guy behind the guy, that’s my role. That’s where I feel comfortable and safe. I’m help around the camp, I win challenges, I’m supportive of everyone, I help make decisions, but I’m not the face. I don’t need a résumé. I don’t need blindsides, I don’t need to embarrass people, that’s not my style. I’m good just siting behind. Does it still sting that you went into Survivor: AllStars with basically no chance because everyone wanted to get the winners out immediately. Does that still stick in your craw at all? ETHAN: A little bit. I think it was too early for an All-Stars, and, like you said, we were a target from day 1. Everyone’s strategy at that time was you can’t let a winner win again. So it was an uphill battle. I could never really get anything going. Never really had the opportunity to develop a strategy because no one wanted to work with me because they just knew that I was going to get voted out. So it was a little bit sour on that stuff, but it is what it is. I lasted the longest of all the winners, so that’s kind of something. It’s always fun being with the old school players again and getting that nostalgic rush of reconnecting, but I have to say, Ethan, just sitting here with you out here again in this environment, with everything that you’ve been through, and all the discussions you and I have had over the years — to be out here doing this with you… I don’t get emotional, right? But I’m actually getting, like, slightly emotional. ETHAN: Okay, just a little bit. For me, that’s a huge thing. It’s very cool to see you out here. I can’t wait to see you back in the game, and I am really excited for you. ETHAN: Thanks, man. I’m happy to be here and it’s an honor to be here. Don’t mess it up. ETHAN: Okay. ■ THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN
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designing survivor part 2
art department
Logistics THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN
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In the second part of this series, we will dive into the creative process behind Survivor, and investigate why the U.S. version has attained some of the best reality TV production value around. The first article covered the graphic and cultural design of the program. In this second part, we look at the physical logistics of the Survivor art department.
“The
AESTHETIC of Survivor is just as important as anything else�
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The Next Step After the design of the logo and graphics, the next step is the implementation of the graphics onto season props. Over the years Survivor has established a collection of props that are just as recognizable to the format of the show as voting people out is. Tiki torches, immunity necklaces, hidden idols. The aesthetic of Survivor is just as important as anything else. One of the universal props is the Buff – a bandana worn by each contestant to signify their tribe. As mentioned in the previous article, the designs on the Buffs are vectorbased – meaning that the effect of the printing will not mar them. To maintain the exact colors, the Buff® company uses a white and stretchy polyester fabric (this is why the inside of the Survivor Buffs have a near white complexion, with the design partially bleeding through). Because the cloth is white, designers don’t have to worry about color variances between the Buffs, for it is all streamlined by the computer. SEG (Survivor Entertainment Group) usually orders a large number of the Buffs to ensure that they have enough for tribe swaps, crew member souvenirs, etc. The Buffs that are purchased by the public are produced much closer to airing and are by far the most popular Survivor prop among fans, becoming a must-have collectible each season for many ardent supporters. In addition to the Buffs, tribe flags and challenge banners are printed in advance. The beach flags tend to be printed on a thick tarp-like cloth – and they typically measure forty-five inches wide by thirty inches tall. The competition flags are much longer, but it varies from season to season.
The creation process for the beach flags differs from the nylon challenge banners, though. The challenge flags are printed off a single computer file. By contrast, the tribe camp flags are composed of multiple separate parts. Lately, the tribe name and logo have been printed on an entirely different piece of fabric, only to be cut out and sewn onto the large flag. Sometimes, the beach flags feature the same designs that appear on the Buffs. If this is the case, the art department typically ends up painting them on manually. This process is evident on the Survivor: Kaôh Rōng camp flags. However, these are not the only graphics that are squared away before arrival on location. The on-location art department is supplied with a catalog of graphic stencils – including fonts, logos, and patterns. With these on hand, they can adorn wooden props and challenge pieces with the necessary designs. To add the drawings, the template is placed on top of the prop, and the appropriate paints are applied. The crew is dedicated to creating a similar aesthetic throughout the season in props, challenges, tribal council and graphics.
other props These simple accessories are not the only designs. When creating the immunity necklaces and idols, the art department will also utilize computer synthesized illustrations to aid in the build of each piece.
Moreover, the showrunners also possess top of the line laser and manual cutters, perfect for advanced flat-wood carvings. That’s not all…they often use the advanced cutters to carve the contours of the puzzles.
For translating the sketches into physical form, SEG has a variety of tools at their disposal. The expert designers that work from season to season are usually tasked with the immunity idols, snuffers, and flag holders – some of the most recognizable props. Some methods that they employ include molding, casting, carving, and wielding.
And what happens next? A separate team of local artisans continues to work on the more sophisticated props, such as vases, jars, cultural carvings, and sculptures. These are used to adorn the tribal council and redemption island locations (if applicable) to create a consistent cultural aesthetic.
The most frequent mediums are molding and casting (they go hand and hand), for they provide the easiest way to add the maximum amount of detail. An example of the molding technique is the Survivor: Blood vs. Water hidden immunity idol. This idol was created using a standard resin-fiberglass mold.
While the show has repeated many similar looking “beach” locations over the past few years, the Survivor team continue to put great effort into designing the aesthetic of each season to set it apart from the others. So next time you’re watching Survivor, take a second to appreciate the artwork and design elements that feature in almost every facet of the show.
On the casting side of things, examples include the Survivor: Blood vs. Water, Survivor: Cagayan, and Survivor: Cambodia immunity necklaces. These all utilized casted metal. The outlier is sculpting, which has only been seen in seasons such as Survivor: All-Stars, Survivor: Guatemala, Survivor Tocantins, Survivor: Redemption Island and Survivor: San Juan del Sur (all on the tribal immunity idols).
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Survivor Season 40 Winner
Tony Vlachos
Has Nothing Left to Prove The Sole Survivor of Winners at War joins Sandra Diaz-Twine as the only other two-time winner in Survivor history. After an epic showdown to determine who is truly the best of the best on Survivor: Winners at War, it was New Jersey police officer Tony Vlachos who came out the victor of an all-star season where each and every castaway donated more than their fair share of blood, sweat, and tears. Tony adapted his style to play a different type of game than the one that won him the $1 million prize in Survivor: Cagayan (and got him voted off first in Game Changers). This gameplay included a strong and honest Cops-R-Us alliance with his ride-or-die, Sarah Lacina, and orchestrating large scale blindsides and covert ops from his impressive spy nest. We caught up with the $2-million-winner to reflect on a season well played, that emotional fire-making challenge, and what he thought would go differently.
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What did you learn from your experience on Game Changers that you put into play on Winners at War? Tony Vlachos: When Survivor calls you and asks if you’re interested in playing, they don’t tell you what the theme is. So when I went into [Game Changers] and saw there were only three winners—me, Sandra, and J.T.—and there were 17 non-winners, I knew I didn’t have a chance. So, I just decided to go out there and do crazy things and have fun with it. My time was limited, so I didn’t even get the chance to do anything strategic on Game Changers. So, I lost on Game Changers, but what I did learn going from that to a season with all winners was that I knew these people were great players and that’s why they won the season that they did, and I knew there was no way that I could use my old antics that I used in Cagayan.
It was a great moment. You were also in on a lot of the big blindsides this season. As a player, how do you manage to pull that off and still get them to vote for you at the end? Tony: The good thing about this season was that all these players have won their seasons before. So they were a big part of blindsides. They were a big part of the manipulation. They were a big part of influencing the votes. So I knew that no matter how I blindsided them, they would have to respect it because, at one point, they would’ve had to do the same thing in order for them to have won their season. So I knew they were all going to respect the moves as long as I kept it, I would say, professional. I wasn’t malicious about it, I wasn’t mean about it. I was just playing the game. And I knew they would respect that.
So I made sure that I kept underneath the radar at the beginning of the game, built strong bonds with alliances, which allowed me to make the moves that I did later in the game. We saw you get emotional after you beat Sarah in the fire-making challenge. What do Cops-R-Us and your relationship with Sarah mean to you on a personal level? Tony: What you watched last night was all part of my act! [Laughs.] But no, six years ago when we played in Cagayan, I didn’t know who she was. I met her on the beach and I didn’t care. She told me she was a cop and I didn’t care, you know? I was there to win the money. But as the weeks, months, years went by, we formed a much greater bond in real life. That’s why we always said, if we ever play again, let’s not go after each other. Let’s see if we can do what no other cops have done before in this game because most cops never [do really good]. Me and Sarah said, let’s just try to rock the game, get to the end, get to the final Tribal, and watch Jeff pull the vote out and see which cop is better. So, when Natalie pit us against each other in fire-making, I was devastated. I was like, “Wow, one of us is going to beat the other.” I was so mad. I mean, I was happy that I did win, obviously, but I was crushed.
“I made sure that i kept underneath the
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There were some new twists this season that you didn’t have to deal with the last time that you played. While you didn’t have to endure the Edge of Extinction, how would you say the introduction of the fire tokens impacted your gameplay? Tony: All of us went into this game blind, as far as the tokens were concerned. We had no idea how the tokens worked on the Edge. Now, watching it back and seeing... Oh, my goodness, I would never have given Natalie six tokens for that extortion disadvantage if I knew she could buy an Idol that would allow her some security coming into the game with five days left. To me, that was an element where [if I’d known] I would never have done that. If I had known that’s how the tokens worked, or if any of us knew how it worked, we would never have sent the tokens over to the Edge. We would’ve kept it for ourselves. We’d buy rice, buy a tarp. And I’m sure that I’m speaking on behalf of all of us that were in the game. Other than Sarah, who were you most excited to see out there on Day 1? Tony: Sandra! As far as I was concerned, I thought we were tight because when she voted me out on Game Changers, and then she got voted out, we spent a lot of time on the pre-jury trip. We both went to Vietnam together and we formed a real bond out there.
“Now there’s a new 36
We said the same thing that me and Sarah said, which was if we ever play again, let’s not go after each other. It makes no sense, let’s just stay true to each other. So when I saw she was on my team, Sarah was on my team, I thought I was golden. And then watching it back, Sandra’s telling people about my spy bunker— because I told her about my spy bunker—and then I see it back on TV that she told Kim about it, I was like, “Oh my God, Sandra, why?!” Well, now you’re both the only two-time winners, so you have something else to bond over. Tony: Absolutely! She’s been the queen for a long time, now there’s a new king, I guess, right? It’s a great feeling. Besides winning, what would you say your most memorable moment from the season was? Tony: I would say the most memorable was the fire-making challenge and the family visit. Those are the most impactful for me. They were two ends of the spectrum. The family visit was pure joy and the fire-making challenge, beating Sarah, was pure pain. Those are the most memorable ones from this season.
KING ”
What advice would you give to people who want to play Survivor? Tony: I would definitely tell them to play the player. That’s what I did in Cagayan, that’s what I did this season. I went in there without any— I didn’t anticipate any moves that I wanted to make, I didn’t go in there thinking about building a resume, I just went in there and I played the player situationally, and that’s what led to my success. Do you think there’s anything left for you to prove in Survivor? Tony: Honestly, I’m one of those guys that I never think that I have to prove anything to anybody, I just give it my best, no matter what it is that I do in life, I just give it my best. I never do anything half-heartedly. Anything that I set my mind to doing, I do it full force. I do it with a full heart and, just like with this season, I don’t go in there building a resume. I just go in there and I do my best, I give it the hardest that I can do, I play the hardest I can. And at the end, my game speaks for itself. If it’s good enough to win, I win. If it’s not, I lose, and that’s how I am. So that’s it, there’s nothing more I could have done in that game, I gave it my all. ■
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rob
has a
Podcast
Survivor alum Rob Cesternino talks Season 40 and the 10-Year anniversary of his podcast
As Survivor kicks off its 40th season, former contestant and full-time podcaster Rob Cesternino is hosting the ultimate viewing party for die-hard fans. On Feb. 12, Cesternino — who placed 3rd in Survivor: Amazon (2003) and 14th in Survivor: All-Stars (2004) — is throwing a premiere party at Busby’s East in Los Angeles to watch the first episode of Survivor: Winners at War, which features 20 returning winners vying for the title of sole survivor. The outing will also celebrate the 10-year anniversary of his podcast, aptly titled Rob Has a Podcast, which has helped transform the Survivor community into one of the most loyal fan bases in television today. “It is crazy, because when we started doing it 10 years ago, it was just, ‘Okay, let me just do this as sort of a hobby in my spare time,’ ” Cesternino, 41, tells PEOPLE. “I had no job and I was just trying to do something to at least be creating something that I can show when I went on job interviews, that at least, ‘Hey, this guy is doing something.’ ”
“And then people were listening and then it was really, really fun,” he adds. “I was teaching myself all the different things that I needed to do to get the podcast live and to do the social media and book the guests and everything that went into it. I wore a lot of different hats, and I still do.” Along with many RHAP listeners, former contestants Stephen Fishbach (also Cesternino’s Survivor Know It Alls cohost), Phillip Sheppard, AbiMaria Gomes, David Wright, Aras Baskauskas, Hannah Shapiro, Lauren Beck, Natalie Cole, Shane Powers and Terry Dietz will be at the Feb. 12 premiere party.
Although Cesternino began his podcast in 2010 with his wife Nicole, he made the gig his full-time career in 2014 and hasn’t slowed down since— even with two young sons in his household. “They want to come in here and they want to touch all the controls and talk into the microphone,” Cesternino jokes of sons Dominic, 6, and Anthony, 4. “They’re very interested in what I do. And now they can open doorknobs and come upstairs.” With thousands of podcast episodes under his belt, Cesternino says that his favorite time to talk reality TV came
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during Survivor: Cagayan in 2014, thanks to the antics of winner Tony Vlachos, who is among the cast of Winners at War. “But really, just that season, all of the characters, it was such a wild season to cover and it was also so special for me, because that was also the first season that I was doing the podcast full time,” he says. “I’m very excited for the return of Tony, because I have so many fun memories about his first time out there and all the fun that we had on the podcast.” And Vlachos isn’t the only champion Cesternino is excited to see back on his television screen. “Ethan [Zohn] returning is a really big thrill for me,” he says of the 46-year-old Survivor Africa winner and cancer survivor.
“I’ve known Ethan for a long time and I’ve known about just how serious and grave his cancer battle was, only six or seven years ago,” Cesternino says. “I know that everything that he’s been through, so that really just blew my mind, that he was going to be out there for this season, and just somebody that I never expected to see back out there.”‘ So would Cesternino ever play another season of the longtime CBS competition series? “I think about it sometimes, but I really just love what I get to do on the podcasts so much,” he admits. “I get to have so much fun. I can’t get voted out. I get to talk about something that I love. I’m in my pajamas most of the day.”
“We have such a great community that we’ve built around the podcast, so as much as it is tempting to think about getting away from email and not having to do all of the different dad stuff that I have to do around the house, that’s the appealing part for me,” he adds. “But otherwise, I’m very happy to never play Survivor again and just keep doing what I’m doing and watch other people play Survivor for another 10 or 20 years.”
“I really just
LOVE
what I get to do”
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origins of
RHAP During the summer of 2009, I started playing around with podcasting. I had started listening to podcasts a few years earlier and always thought it would be fun to make my own. I started recording podcasts of me talking to my friends from college about my beloved New York Mets and Star Wars. Hardly anybody was listening to these shows but the few people who did said they always liked it when I did them with Nicole.
Over the last few years I had watched a few seasons of Survivor. In the summer of 2009, CBS started really promoting how big of a character Russell Hantz was going to be. I was intrigued enough to start watching the show on a regular basis. In January 2010, CBS held a “10year Anniversary Party” for Survivor in anticipation of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. I had a great time seeing a bunch of familiar faces who I had lost touch with. After going to the party, I realized that I was really excited about tuning in to Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. I missed talking about Survivor. Soon after this, my friend Ryan Pappolla really wanted to do a podcast with me about the upcoming final season of LOST. I decided that from now on “Rob
Has a Podcast” was going to focus on me talking about what I was watching on television, especially LOST and Survivor. Our first Survivor podcast was in February of 2010. The difference between these podcasts and the ones I did the summer before was that some people were actually interested in hearing them (not many, but hey, we weren’t complaining). A few weeks later, I thought I might as well call up somebody I knew to have them talk about Survivor with me. I called Jonny Fairplay (Survivor: Pearl Islands) and then Jenna Morasca (Survivor: The Amazon) the week after that. Suddenly, people expected a guest every week! I still didn’t have a job at this time but working on the podcast and the website forced me to learn so much more about podcasting, internet marketing, social media and community management. While doing the podcast was taking up a lot of my time, it was quickly becoming a labor of love. we had started podcasting about Big Brother, which we’ve continued to do ever since. By September of 2010, the podcast was successful enough that we started getting to do exit interviews with the players kicked off of Survivor: Nicaragua. I was also asked to write the weekly Survivor blog on CBS.com. From all of the knowledge I was learning about how to build a website and market the show, I started to get other types of work as well. I became the social media manager for a Moving Pictures Magazine in late 2010. All the while, I continued to create more and more podcasts. THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN
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In the fall of 2011, I decided to start doing video simulcasts of some of the shows. The early shows on video were very experimental but I found that there was a new level of interactivity that we had when our audience was listening to us live. Over the course of 2011, I expanded the use of live streaming on the podcast. Using the Spreecast platform, we streamed a live podcast once a week in the mornings. However, our live shows didn’t really take off until I started doing live recaps of Big Brother right after the episodes ended. I realized we were onto something by doing a live interactive show after the end of a TV show and recording the audio for a podcast. In September 2012, I decided that Survivor would be the next show to get its own live post show recap. I approached my great friend, Stephen Fishbach (Survivor: Tocantins) to join me every week to recap Survivor after it airs. Since Stephen Fishbach is considered to be another intellectual Survivor player who didn’t win his season, I thought a great name for this recap would be Survivor Know-It-Alls – the show with the two guys who know everything about Survivor, except how to win the game. During Survivor Philippines, the podcast continued to attract a wider following and also bring in bigger guests. In October 2012, I interviewed “Boston Rob” Mariano (Survivor: Marquesas, Survivor All-Stars, Survivor: Heroes vs Villains, winner of Survivor: Redemption Island) for the first time. A few weeks later, I got my first interview with the host of Survivor, Jeff Probst. That season, I even got to be that game show host I always wanted to be when we played Survivor Jeopardy! In March of 2013, we recorded our 500th episode of Rob Has a Podcast (on that episode I shared a lot of this story in much greater detail). In December 2013, my entire department at my job was laid off. While disappointed, I decided that instead of pursuing another full-time gig, I was going to try and make podcasting my full-time profession. It might turn out to be an ill-advised idea but it’s the only thing I’ve ever found that consumes all of my focus and never feels like work. ■
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CREDITS articles
Cheryl Wassennaar - Surviving Tribal Leigh Oleszczak - Surviving Tribal Colin Thomas - Inside Survivor Dalton Ross - Entertainment Weekly Colin Thomas - Inside Survivor CBS.com Eric Todisco - People Rob Cesternino - RHAP
photos
unsplash: Gabriele Diwald Heather McKean Alona Po Ashkan Forouzani Kamil Kalbarczyk Bill Fairs Harshil Gudka Micha Brandli Robert Nyman Ralph Messi Henry & Co Tim Mossholder Skyler Smith
CBS CBS.com Monty Brinton Robert Voets John Kirhoffer
Jennifer Pollack Magazine designer & curator
Fall 2020 Columbia College Chicago
other sources lostandtaken.com TuomoDesign thetravel.com logolynx.com reddit.com/r/survivor Survivor Wiki Inside Survivor Entertainment Weekly Survivor Props Facebook Group TV Guide THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN
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