Template:In-progress tvshow Template:ChineseText Template:Infobox Television Survivor Survivor: China is the fifteenth and current season of the reality television series Survivor. The show was announced by Jeff Probst at the end of the live reunion show for Survivor: Fiji on May 13, 2007, claiming this to be the first full American television series to be filmed entirely within China. The premiere aired on September 20, 2007.
Many aspects of Chinese culture and history are to be included in this season. The show started with a Buddhist ceremony, and a 100 foot-tall replica of a historic temple was used for Tribal Council. Each tribe received a copy of The Art of War by Sun Tzu. As stated by Probst: "Survivor is a war. The book deals with leadership and how you defeat the other tribe. It's interesting how much it plays into the game all the way through." The show will reportedly have "unprecedented access" to several historical Chinese monuments, including the Shaolin Temple and the Great Wall of China.[1]
The "Outwit, Outplay, Outlast" slogan used in previous season's logos has been replaced by Chinese characters. The characters translate to "compete in intelligence" (比智慧, bĭ zhìhuì), "compete in skill" (比技巧, bĭ jìqiǎo), and "compete in endurance" (比耐力, bĭ nàilì).[2]
Contestant applications were due on January 30, 2007. Around March 2007, about 800 applicants were selected for an interview by CBS. Out of those 800, about 48 semi-finalists were selected to go to Los Angeles sometime during April-May 2007 for an additional round of interviews. Between June and August 2007, 16 contestants were selected from the semi-finalists to participate in the show.[3] The final contestants and their original tribes (Fei Long (飛龙) and Zhan Hu (战虎), meaning Flying Dragon and Fighting Tiger respectively) were officially announced on August 20, 2007. [1][4]
Exile Island from the previous three seasons was discarded for this season, but the Hidden Immunity Idol was still part of the game. According to Mark Burnett, the Idol is "right under their noses."[5] In lieu of Exile Island, the game gives the tribes the ability to "kidnap" a player from the opposing tribe as part of winning a Reward Challenge. The kidnapped player remains with that tribe through the next Immunity Challenge and would receive a clue to the location of an Immunity Idol at that camp. However, this clue must be given, unread, to a member of the other tribe prior to the next Immunity Challenge.
According to Probst, three players will go to the final Tribal Council, continuing the pattern begun in Cook Islands and again in Fiji. He explained that having a final three "prohibits one person winning through to the end and then taking an extremely unlikable person with them."[6]
Contestants
| Contestant | Staring Tribe | Episode 5 | Finish | Total Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve "Chicken" Morris 48, Marion, VA |
Zhan Hu | 1st Voted Out Day 3 |
5 | |
| Ashley Massaro 28, East Northport, NY |
Zhan Hu | 2nd Voted Out Day 6 |
8 | |
| Leslie Nease 38, Tega Cay, SC |
Fei Long | 3rd Voted Out Day 9 |
6 | |
| Dave Cruser 37, Simi Valley, CA |
Zhan Hu | 4th Voted Out Day 12 |
||
| Aaron Reisberger 31, Venice, CA |
Fei Long | Zhan Hu | 5th Voted Out Day 15 |
|
| Amanda Kimmel 23, Kalispell, MT |
Fei Long | Fei Long | ||
| Courtney Yates 26, New York City, NY |
Fei Long | Fei Long | ||
| Denise Martin 40, Douglas, MA |
Fei Long | Fei Long | ||
| Erik Huffman 26, Nashville, TN |
Zhan Hu | Zhan Hu | ||
| Jaime Dugan 22, Columbia, SC |
Zhan Hu | Zhan Hu | ||
| James Clement 30, Lafayette, LA |
Fei Long | Zhan Hu | 1 | |
| Jean-Robert Bellande 36, Las Vegas, NV |
Fei Long | Fei Long | 2 | |
| Michael "Frosti" Zernow 20, Chicago, IL |
Zhan Hu | Fei Long | ||
| Peih-Gee Law 29, Marina Del Rey, CA |
Zhan Hu | Zhan Hu | 2 | |
| Sherea Lloyd 26, Atlanta, GA |
Zhan Hu | Fei Long | 1 | |
| Todd Herzog 22, Pleasant Grove, UT |
Fei Long | Fei Long |
The game
| Episode Title | Air Date | Challenges | Kidnapped | Eliminated | Vote | Finish | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reward | Immunity | ||||||
| A Chicken's a Little Bit Smarter | 2007-09-20 | None 1 | Fei Long | None 1 | Chicken | 5-2-1 | 1st Voted Out Day 3 |
| My Mom Is Going to Kill Me! | 2007-09-27 | Fei Long | Fei Long | Jaime | Ashley | 6-1 | 2nd Voted Out Day 6 |
| I Lost Two Hands and Possibly a Shoulder! | 2007-10-04 | Zhan Hu | Zhan Hu | Leslie | Leslie | 6-2 | 3rd Voted Out Day 9 |
| Ride the Workhorse Till the Tail Falls Off | 2007-10-11 | Fei Long | Fei Long | Dave | Dave | 5-1 | 4th Voted Out Day 12 |
| Love Is In the Air | 2007-10-18 | None 2 | Fei Long | None 2 | Aaron | 3-1-1 | 5th Voted Out Day 15 |
| That's Love, Baby! It Makes You Strong! | 2007-10-25 | ||||||
| I'm Not As Dumb As I Look | 2007-11-01 | ||||||
Template:FnbThere was no Reward Challenge and the kidnapping rule was not yet known to the castaways.
Template:FnbThere was no Reward Challenge because of the tribal switch.
Elimination notes
- Chicken - He was seen as not fitting in with the other tribemates. He claimed to have better capability for being outdoors but had little to show for it. When his ideas about the shelter were ignored, he stopped giving opinions even when they were asked for, leading to him being voted out. (5-2-1)
- Ashley - She had a personal conflict with tribe leader Dave. She was angered by the way Dave abused his power as leader and talked down to everyone. Others agreed with her, but still decided to vote her out, seeing her as the weaker of the two. (6-1)
- Leslie - She had been kidnapped and had taken a liking to the other tribe. In turn, her tribe thought she might have formed a bond with the other tribe, so they voted her out. Also, she was considered a weaker member of the tribe. (6-2)
- Dave - Dave's leadership was considered abrasive, and his skills were no longer needed at camp. (5-1)
- Aaron - Peih-Gee and Jaime threw the Immunity Challenge thinking it would keep them further in the game when the tribes merged. Aaron, being the former leader of Fei Long and having more allies than James, was voted out. (3-1-1)
Kidnapping notes
- None - There was no Reward Challenge; therefore, nobody was kidnapped.
- Jaime - Fei Long chose to kidnap Jaime from Zhan Hu because she was seen as a "spot of sunshine" and thought her being gone from Zhan Hu would be demoralizing. Jaime gave the sealed clue to the Hidden Immunity Idol at Fei Long to Leslie, seeing her as the weakest member of Fei Long.
- Leslie - Zhan Hu chose to kidnap Leslie from Fei Long seeing her as "genuine". Leslie gave the sealed clue to the Hidden Immunity Idol at Zhan Hu to Jaime, repaying the favor from the prior episode.
- Dave - Fei Long chose to kidnap Dave from Zhan Hu. Dave gave the Hidden Immunity Idol clue to Todd agreeing that if Todd was kidnapped by Zhan Hu, he would give the clue to Dave.
- None - There was no Reward Challenge because of the tribal switch.
Voting history
| Starting Tribes | Swap | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Episode #: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Eliminated: | Chicken 5/8 Votes |
Ashley 6/7 Votes |
Leslie 6/8 Votes |
Dave 5/6 Votes |
Aaron 3/5 Votes |
| Voter | Vote | ||||
| Amanda | Leslie | ||||
| Courtney | Jean-Robert | ||||
| Denise | Leslie | ||||
| Erik | Chicken | Ashley | Dave | Aaron | |
| Frosti | Chicken | Ashley | Dave | ||
| Jaime | Chicken | Ashley | Dave | Aaron | |
| James | Leslie | Peih-Gee | |||
| Jean-Robert | Leslie | ||||
| Peih-Gee | Chicken | Ashley | Dave | Aaron | |
| Sherea | Chicken | Ashley | Dave | ||
| Todd | Leslie | ||||
| Aaron | Leslie | James | |||
| Dave | Ashley | Ashley | Sherea | ||
| Leslie | Jean-Robert | ||||
| Ashley | Peih-Gee | Dave | |||
| Chicken | Ashley | ||||
Episode summaries
Episode 1: The castaways began in downtown Shanghai, China and traveled by train and truck to a Buddhist Temple where they participated in a welcoming ceremony. Even though Jeff stated that the ceremony was not religious, Leslie left before the ceremony was done due to her religious beliefs. After the ceremony, Jeff announced to the castaways that they would be going into the game with only the clothes that they were wearing at the time. The castaways were then divided into two tribes, each tribe receiving a copy of Sun Tzu's The Art of War. After a stormy night at Zhan Hu, Ashley got sick and became a target for being a weak link. Fei Long won the first Immunity Challenge and a flint for fire. At Tribal Council, Chicken was seen as not fitting in, Ashley being a weak link for getting sick, and Peih-Gee as being bossy. Chicken was not able to convince the others to keep him in the tribe and he was voted out 5-2-1. After Chicken left, Probst presented the tribe with a flint.
Episode 2: Dave tried to take a leadership role at Zhan Hu, but his tribemates resisted him for being too bossy and not listening to their ideas. At Fei Long, Amanda and Todd formed an alliance and pulled in Aaron to be "someone strong to call the shots" to deflect any anger about their plotting during the game. Jean-Robert became a target due to his laziness, but he revealed in a confessional video that this perception was part of his plan for the game. At the Reward Challenge, Fei Long won fishing gear, a fishing boat, and the right to kidnap a member of Zhan Hu. They chose to kidnap Jaime as she was seen as a "spot of sunshine" and Fei Long thought her departure would drop morale at Zhan Hu. Jaime was given a sealed tube to open in private, which had instructions to give another sealed tube containing a clue to the Hidden Immunity Idol to a member of Fei Long. She decided to give it to Leslie in an attempt to keep the opposing tribe weak by protecting the tribe member she believed to be the weakest. Leslie then shared the clue with Todd thinking that he would trust her and keep her around, but he saw this an opportunity to have the clue to himself if she were to be eliminated. At the Immunity Challenge, Fei Long continued their winning streak and won Immunity for the second time in a row. Dave took full responsibility for the loss, but the tribe saw Ashley as causing too much conflict with Dave and not being a hard enough worker causing her to be voted out 6-1.
Episode 3: At Fei Long, the tribe had conflicts over sleeping conditions and what to do with a crab they had caught. Dave continued to work hard at Zhan Hu but also continued to irritate his tribemates for his bossy manner. At a hard fought Reward Challenge, the women of Zhan Hu came through and the tribe won a kerosene lamp, rope, blankets, pillows, and a tarp. Zhan Hu kidnapped Leslie where she quickly bonded with the tribe. At Fei Long, Courtney and Todd overheard Jean-Robert and James strategizing and making crude comments about Courtney. Leslie returned the favor she received from Jaime in the last Reward Challenge by giving the second Hidden Immunity Idol clue to Jaime. At the Immunity Challenge, Fei Long could not overcome a poor showing by Courtney and lost to Zhan Hu. Leslie was seen as untrustworthy due to her potential ties to the other tribe after being kidnapped, and she was voted out 6-2.
Episode 4: Frosti spoke to Dave privately and tried to warn him that he was causing too much conflict around camp after he clashed with Sherea. At a nighttime Reward Challenge, Fei Long won a visit by a local fisherman and his family who taught them how to fish, made them a meal, and brought vegetables and spices. Jean-Robert surprised his tribe by revealing that he spoke Mandarin (linguistics), which he learned as a child while spending a few years in Taiwan and served as a translator between the fisherman's family and the other contestants. Dave was kidnapped by Fei Long and chose to give the Hidden Immunity Idol clue to Todd after Todd agreed to return the favor should he be kidnapped. Fei Long won the Immunity Challenge where the castaways used meteor hammer to smash pots. After returning to camp, Dave noticed that his tribe's attitude toward him had changed and tried to convince his tribemates that his attitude had changed. Sherea overheard Erik, Frosti, Jaime, and Peih-Gee discussing her lack of work and realized that she was in danger of being voted out. Ultimately, the four other members of Zhan Hu decided that Dave's bossy attitude was too much, and he was voted out 5-1.
Episode 5: Erik and Jaime's relationship grew, and Jaime shared the clues she had about the Hidden Immunity Idol with him. Instead of a Reward Challenge, local fishermen dropped off messages instructing each tribe to select the two strongest members from the other tribe to be added to their own; Fei Long selected Frosti and Sherea while Zhan Hu selected Aaron and James. Along with their new tribe members, each tribe received a basket of fruits, nuts, and wine. The tribal switch caused a lot of plotting of potential future moves by the castaways: Jean-Robert trying to regain the trust of his tribe; Frosti looking for new alliances; and Peih-Gee and Jaime contemplating throwing the next two Immunity Challenges in order to eliminate Aaron and James, thus balancing the number of original tribe members should a merge happen with ten players remaining. At the Immunity Challenge, Jaime and Peih-Gee sabotaged their tribe's chances by tossing a puzzle piece out of view and making minimal effort to solve the Chinese astrology puzzle. Aaron and James were upset at Jaime and Peih-Gee's poor performance and seeming lack of concern during the challenge. Back at camp, Erik was surprised to learn that the girls purposely threw the challenge and felt compelled to go along with their plan to stay in the game. At Tribal Council, Jaime admitted to throwing the challenge, prompting disgust from both Aaron and James. Although James was much more vocal in condemning the strategy, even asking to be sent home, Aaron was voted out 3-1-1.
References
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
tvg fei longwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Washburn, Dan (2007-05-21). "Survivor China Update: Remote island of ... Jiangxi?". Gothamist, LLC. Retrieved 2007-07-31.
The Chinese characters on the logo say, 'Compete in intelligence, compete in skill, compete in endurance.'
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Survivor Application" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-03-30.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
tvg zhan huwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Brioux, Bill (2007-07-20). "Cdn. version of 'Fifth Grader' eyed". Retrieved 2007-07-20.
- ^ "Returning Shows". Retrieved 2007-09-21.