Tag: Survivor (66-78 of 225)

Nov 29 2012 12:03 PM ET

InsideTV Podcast: Jonathan Penner explains why he turned down the final four offer on 'Survivor: Philippines'

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Image Credit: Monty Brinton/CBS

We’ve always considered Jonathan Penner to be a pretty smart guy and pretty good Survivor player, especially when he went from being a dead man walking at the start of Survivor: Philippines to making it all the way past the merge. But then he started making some really odd decisions — none odder than refusing a final four offer from Mike Skupin and Lisa Whelchel.

That ultimately let to his ouster last night, so we called him up on the InsideTV Podcast to find out just what the heck he was thinking. And while we’re at it, Jessica Shaw and I also question the three-timer as to why he spent his money on chicken and fries instead of the advantage in the Immunity Challenge that ultimately led Abi to victory and Jonathan to the loser’s lounge at Ponderosa. Not only that, but Penner also shares some secrets of what we did not see in the episode, and gives his take on why Jeff Kent was so obsessed with getting him out of the game. It’s Penner unfiltered! — is there any other kind of Penner? — and you can click on the audio player below to hear it all for yourself. (The Survivor discussion and interview begins at 15:50.)

But first, Jessica and I take a deep dive into ABC’s county music drama Nashville. Which storylines are working and which ones are not? Which characters are we loving and loathing? And can Connie Britton do any wrong? (Short answer: no.) We go in depth on each and every storyline, giving each one a verdict of hit or miss. Listen in and see if you agree with our take. READ FULL STORY »

Nov 29 2012 07:00 AM ET

'Survivor: Philippines': Jeff Probst on how Jonathan Penner 'absolutely blew it'

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Image credit: Monty Brinton/CBS

Each week, host Jeff Probst answers a few questions about the most recent episode of ‘Survivor: Philippines’.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Ah, the Survivor food auction! When you first started these auctions, the covered items were always a risk to buy as you would have things like cheeseburgers, but also stuff like a glass of dirty water or local delicacies like balut or something that might gross people out. But lately you seem to have moved away from those gnarly options and everything is something good. I’m curious as to why that is, because you know the personal joy I get out of seeing others suffer. 

JEFF PROBST: We do vary it year by year and honestly it’s the only “challenge” that we can adjust depending on how the season is going. When we know they’ve been starving, we are more likely to make it a more positive experience with bigger meals and fun payoffs. We know how incredibly tough it is to go day after day with so little food and joy so the auction is the one time we can perk up their morale. But we do still throw in the occasional “let’s make a deal” choice — and we did that this year. It just didn’t make the cut because the reality on the beach has been so damn good! READ FULL STORY »

Nov 22 2012 12:01 AM ET

'Survivor: Philippines': Jeff Probst says Abi belongs in the 'Survivor Villain Hall of Fame'

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Image Credit: Monty Brinton/CBS

Each week, host Jeff Probst answers a few questions about the most recent episode of Survivor: Philippines.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You have two types of “villains” on Survivor — those that know they are villains and almost embrace it in a way, and those that have no clue whatsoever. Abi-Maria would seem to clearly fall into that latter category. As a producer, how are they different in terms of what they bring to the show?

JEFF PROBST: Another interesting question…. I guess it would come down to behavior. Russell Hantz enjoys being a villain, likes creating chaos and on some level is always doing it for the audience enjoyment. He’s fascinating to watch because we know he is fully aware of what he is doing when he burns someone’s socks in the fire. Abi-Maria is completely clueless about the impact of her behavior on others. This is equally fascinating because we are amazed that she has no idea! I do think some of it is cultural, but the part that is cultural is the awareness of her behavior. The behavior itself is not cultural — that’s just selfishness and entitlement. Regardless of her approach, she has planted herself firmly in the Survivor Villain Hall Of Fame, which I would have never predicted pre-show. I thought she was very charming and funny and that she could flirt away deep into the game. I never saw this coming. Equally interesting is the fact that she is still in the game, and at this point is someone it makes a lot of sense to take to the end. READ FULL STORY »

Nov 15 2012 12:40 PM ET

InsideTV Podcast: Artis from 'Survivor: Philippines' blasts Mike Skupin

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Image Credit: Monty Brinton/CBS

He may have aligned with the wrong people in Abi and Pete, but Artis Silvester was all class in his final words after being voted off of Survivor: Philippines. However, as we found on on the InsideTV Podcast, that does not mean he doesn’t hold a grudge. And that grudge is aimed squarely at Michael Skupin. Artis is not upset about Skupin flipping at last night’s Tribal Council. He just doesn’t like the dude — at all. “He’s not a nice person,” Artis said when he called in to talk to Jessica Shaw and me about his experience on the island. “I despised Mike.” Ouch!

Artis is also not happy with the way he’s been portrayed as a villain on the “evil” alliance with Abi and Pete. Click on the audio player icon below to hear what he has to say about that as well as his reveal on whom he wanted to go to the finals with (you might be surprised), and his not so sunny reunion with fellow juror RC at Ponderosa. (The Survivor discussion and interview starts at 20:40.)

But first, we welcome James Hibberd to the show as he, Jessica, and I reveal our picks for the best returning show of the fall. What dramas and comedies do we feel have not only continued to be strong, but have actually gotten stronger this year. Listen in and see if you agree, and nominate your own picks as well. READ FULL STORY »

Nov 15 2012 07:00 AM ET

'Survivor: Philippines': Jeff Probst says returning players do not have an unfair advantage

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Each week, host Jeff Probst answers a few questions about the most recent episode of ‘Survivor: Philippines’.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Jonathan Penner did something really interesting in this episode, where he basically told Lisa that she should base her strategy and game play on the answer to the following question: “What does the audience want to have happen?” Obviously, he’s trying anything he can to stay in the game at this point, but it got me thinking — how much do players base their decisions on what will make them look better to people watching them on television? How greatly does the natural instinct of simply wanting to be liked — and in this case by millions of viewers — affect gameplay out there? 

JEFF PROBST: Great observation. I think in this particular case it’s Penner using anything he can to stay in the game. He’s a great writer and very gifted with the word so he found a way to relate to Lisa that posed a win-win for both of them. She comes out a winner and in the end it helps him. I love it. It’s manipulation at it’s finest. But generally speaking I do think a lot of people are concerned about how they come across to others, whether in life or on Survivor. The biggest problem facing most people on Survivor is that it’s very hard to change your core when you are starving, tired and mentally exhausted. You may want to put on your ‘best face” but typically what comes out is your truth and it’s often not flattering. I think it’s why people gravitate toward players like Malcolm, Denise and Lisa because they see their truth and they like what they see. It’s the same reason people absolutely loved to hate Russell Hantz. They knew he was a bad dude but they loved the honesty with which he played and it was entertaining. So does it impact the game? In the end, I’d guess that it really doesn’t have that big of an impact. The million dollar carrot is pretty appealing and that tends to win out over what the audience is going to think about how you played. READ FULL STORY »

Nov 8 2012 01:18 PM ET

InsideTV Podcast: A 'pissed' Jeff Kent explains why he's 'still a little dumbfounded' after being voted off 'Survivor: Philippines'

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He is a former Major League Baseball MVP, but Jeff Kent struck out in his attempt to win Survivor: Philippines. Well, that’s not entirely fair. After all, he did make the jury, so maybe it was more of a pop-out. (Just don’t ask me to explain the freakin’ infield fly rule.) Now, after his worst nightmare of being voted off before Jonathan Penner came true, Jeff called into the InsideTV Podcast to discuss and dissect his time on the island.

While using the word “pissed” about a thousand times, Jeff talks all about what went wrong, including things we did not see, like his aborted attempt to oust Pete last week instead of RC. He also explains his final words dis of Barack Obama as well as theorizing why Penner ended up voting for Abi, ensuring that Jeff went home instead. And in what qualifies as something of a bombshell shocker, Kent has nothing but complimentary things to say about the man he seemed obsessed with getting off the island. Plus, he reveals his biggest regret of the game. Listen in for yourself to find out how Jeff is dealing with his defeat. (Hint: Not well.) READ FULL STORY »

Nov 8 2012 07:00 AM ET

'Survivor: Philippines': Jeff Probst on 'one of the biggest blown opportunities in the history of this game'

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Image credit: Monty Brinton/CBS

Each week, host Jeff Probst answers a few questions about the most recent episode of ‘Survivor: Philippines’.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Jeff, is there anything more fun in the entire world than seeing a nice Christian lady who was originally ostracized by her tribe now not only working her way back into the game, but going and getting her hands dirty and making a bold move to try and take control of it? I think I now have a bigger crush on Lisa than I did back in the 1980s! 

JEFF PROBST: There are so many great qualities about Lisa — where do we begin? I recently had her on as a guest on my talk show and what really struck me was her earnest nature.  She’s not playing for the camera, her ethical struggle is legit. A Christian mom struggling to play a game invented by the devil. I believe we root for her because we see the true goodness in her and we want her to give herself permission to play dirty. If she does, she could win this game. I also think she looked better on the island than she ever has before because she let mother nature do its thing with her hair and skin — all of it.  Yes agreed — crush firmly in place. READ FULL STORY »

Oct 25 2012 07:00 AM ET

Jeff Probst weighs in on the big food trade from 'Survivor: Philippines'

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Image credit: Monty Brinton

Each week, host Jeff Probst answers a few questions about the most recent episode of Survivor: Philippines.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: All the questions this week are going to be about the reward challenge. Because there are a lot of questions to ask! First off, you told Tandang they had to sit out one man and one woman in both of the challenges. Why did you make them specially sit out a man in each, when a tribe can usually sit out whomever they want (as long as those people did not sit out another challenge in the same episode cycle)? Is that because they already had an extra man when Malcolm was put on that tribe? 

JEFF PROBST: Occasionally there are challenges that require even numbers of men and women for them to be matched up and in those cases we force them to even up the tribes by who they sit out. It’s a decision that is made ahead of time when the challenge is first designed — long before we have any idea who will be left on which tribe when it comes time to run the challenge. In this case we knew we were going to do match ups and knew it would not be fair if one tribe had all men going up against all women so that’s the story on that! READ FULL STORY »

Oct 18 2012 12:18 PM ET

InsideTV Podcast: Dawson gives the intimate details of her kiss with Jeff Probst. Plus: 'Revolution' and 'The Walking Dead'

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She came. She saw. She smooched Jeff Probst. If we didn’t know better, we would say that was the main reason Sarah Dawson went on Survivor: Philippines — to plant a big fat wet one on the host. It was certainly a Survivor first and Probst looked both taken aback and amused by the aggressive move. We already got Jeff’s take on the situation, so now it is time to check in the with the kisser as opposed to the kissee. Dawson joined us on this week’s edition of the InsideTV Podcast to discuss what we didn’t see during the big smooch, as well as why she pulled Abi-Maria’s hair and did not out Jeff Kent as a baseball player. She also tells us who is NEXT on her kiss list! However, Dawson’s not alone. She is joined by Dana Lambert, whose body broke down on her and forced her to quit the game. Dana tells us exactly how bad she was, as well as what was wrong with her and how long she had to stay in a hospital after. She also says Dawson and Katie driver her bonkers on the island. (Shocker!)

And that’s not our only interview of the podcast. In fact, it’s the mere appetizer for the main course! The man who plays Merle on The Walking Dead, Michael Rooker, stops by, and the conversation is about as off the rails as you would expect a conversation with Michael Rooker to be. Rooker tries his best to convince me that Merle is not a racist and is one of the most swell people you’ll ever meet in your entire life. I’m inclined not to believe him. Then, Jessica Shaw and I discuss NBC’s own post-apocalyptic drama, Revolution. Does this series have what it takes to break the seemingly endless cycle of one-season-and-done science fiction network dramas (RIP: Surface, Invasion, Threshold, The Event, Flash Forward, Alcatraz, Terra Nova, etc…)? I present my list of what I think the show is doing right and wrong. READ FULL STORY »

Oct 18 2012 07:00 AM ET

Jeff Probst talks about being kissed on 'Survivor: Philippines'

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Image credit: Monty Brinton/CBS

Each week, host Jeff Probst answers a few questions about the most recent episode of Survivor: Philippines.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You know we’re about to talk all about that big smooch from Dawson, right? What were you thinking as she leaned in for the kiss, and what was your reaction after? Is your wife Lisa on your case about it? 

JEFF PROBST: Honestly, it did take me by surprise. Nothing like that has ever happened. As I snuffed her torch I felt her really staring and connecting with me. It was as if she had already accepted her fate and was now looking for her goodbye from me. As she leaned in toward me I thought she was going to kiss me right on the lips. It was one of those moments that slowed way down as it was happening.  Dawson is an “in the moment” girl and though I have no idea what she was thinking in that moment, I thought it was both fun and funny. Fortunately, my wife Lisa is not a terribly jealous person! (UPDATE: Hear Dawson’s take on the kiss here!) READ FULL STORY »

Oct 11 2012 01:41 PM ET

InsideTV Podcast: A despondent Russell Swan talks about his 'Survivor' experience -- 'I'm in a tough psychological situation'

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Image credit: Monty Brinton/CBS

It’s hard enough when things don’t go well out there on the island on Survivor. But then you have to come back home and watch them not go well all over again on television. In fact, they usually go even worse, because now you have to watch other players say lots of mean things about you. That helps explain the fragile nature of Russell Swan when Jessica Shaw and I spoke to him on this week’s edition of the InsideTV Podcast. Russell is taking a deep, long look inside himself in the wake of what could only be described as a disastrous run on Survivor: Philippines, and he explains the pain of having to explain to his 9-year-old daughter what exactly went wrong out there — meaning, basically everything. It’s about as honest of an emotional inventory as you are likely to hear (and worth you fighting through a few minutes of audio difficulty in the middle).

Also on tap this week, I take the five questions every Walking Dead fan wants answered heading into season 3 and offer juicy teases as to what to expect when the AMC drama returns this Sunday night. Plus, Jessica and I react to last week’s Homeland bombshell and preview the awesomeness in store for the next two episodes. You will not believe what is coming up next! READ FULL STORY »

Oct 11 2012 07:00 AM ET

Jeff Probst on episode 4 of 'Survivor: Philippines'

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Image credit: Monty Brinton/CBS

Each week, host Jeff Probst answers a few questions about the most recent episode of Survivor: Philippines.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Let’s get right into Russell’s tirade after losing the immunity challenge. He went on about how he always expects success. That mirrors the mindset of a lot of athletes who say you need to have that type of thought process to succeed. But when that expected success doesn’t come, it can get ugly. Is that type of attitude an asset or a liability in this game? 

JEFF PROBST: An absolute liability. I think Russell has a few things that challenge the appropriateness of his tirade. 1) He is not a “bound for the Hall of Fame” professional athlete who just dropped a pass in the end zone in the last few seconds of the Super Bowl. 2) The expectation that he must succeed in any and all things he does is a bit silly and therefore doesn’t resonate with anyone. 3) His point of view is so egocentric that it appears to put most people off because it’s not about the tribe, it’s about his individual performance. 4) This is SURVIVOR – it’s social politics and he played it poorly from day one. READ FULL STORY »

Oct 10 2012 12:01 AM ET

The best 'Survivor' moments ever, as picked by the new cast -- EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

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Image Credit: Monty Brinton/CBS

There are certain images from seasons past of Survivor that you simply can’t get out of your head. Perhaps it is Sue Hawk’s infamous “rat and snake” speech at Borneo’s final Tribal Council. Maybe it is Jenna Morasca and Heidi Strobel stripping for peanut butter and chocolate in The Amazon. Or it could be poor gullible Erik (or Brandon) giving away his immunity… and then promptly being voted out. (Whoops!) Over 12 years and 24 seasons, the reality show has provided a bevy of memorable moments. So we asked the cast of season 25, Survivor: Philippines, to give us their favorite Survivor moment ever. Who selected the Cook Islands mutiny? Who picked Parvati playing two immunity idols? And which returning player chose… their own moment from a previous season?! Click on the video player below to see for yourself. Then hit the message board to let us know your favorite Survivor moment. And for more Survivor scoop, follow me on Twitter @DaltonRoss. Take it away, guys… READ FULL STORY »

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