‘Survivor’ begins ninth season Sept. 16
CBS’ pioneering reality show “Survivor” will head into its ninth season with a two-hour premiere on Sept. 16.
The new edition, “Survivor: Vanuatu — Islands of Fire,” takes place in a nation of more than 80 volcano-dotted islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean.
Eighteen castaways will compete in separate tribes of men versus women. The participants include an FBI agent, a drill sergeant named Sarge, a Pennsylvania sheep farmer and a mechanical bull operator from Los Angeles. The oldest competitor is Scout Cloud Lee, a 59-year-old rancher from Oklahoma.
The battle of the sexes also was the beginning structure of last year’s “Survivor: The Amazon,” but was altered in midseason. CBS publicist Chris Ender says nothing is set in stone this time around, either.
“In true Mark Burnett (the show’s producer) style, there will be some twists and turns throughout the season,” Ender said.
Vanuatu is home to more than 100 languages, and a tribal and ritualistic culture is still in existence on many of its islands.
NBC takes off the gloves
A slugfest between Fox TV and the producers of a competing NBC reality boxing series has landed in court.
DreamWorks SKG and reality mogul Mark Burnett, producers of NBC’s upcoming “The Contender,” have asked a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to force Fox to edit allegedly unlawful bouts out of its similar series, “The Next Great Champ,” before it airs.
Fox should be barred from using “film of any boxing match that wasn’t legally promoted,” DreamWorks said in a statement, citing a California Athletic Commission investigation of the reality series.
“It would be terribly damaging to the sport, to our show ‘The Contender’ and to all the participants if anyone were to profit from or gain an unfair advantage by breaking the law,” DreamWorks said.
“We believe these claims are without merit,” replied Fox spokesman Scott Grogin. “This is an effort to stifle competition by seeking an inappropriate prior restraint of a broadcast.”
The suit alleges that “The Next Great Champ” was produced on a “rushed and frenzied basis” to beat “The Contender” to the air and violated state boxing regulations. The Fox show is scheduled to premiere Sept. 10, with NBC’s set for sometime in November.
In “The Next Great Champ,” aspiring boxers compete for a contract with Oscar De La Hoya’s company and a World Boxing Organization title fight. In “The Contender,” the prize is $1 million and a shot at a boxing career.
MTV keeping it ‘Real’
The 15th season of MTV’s “Real World” franchise began in Philadelphia, was briefly homeless and finally returned to the City of Brotherly Love. The fruits of this tumultuous process are set to premiere on Sept. 7.
After ditching Philadelphia amidst protests from local unions, the reality veteran ultimately made nice and shot the season with minimal controversy. It’s doubtful that the show’s labor strife will merit even a mention as viewers watch seven strangers move into a 10,000-square-foot home.
The new “Real World” crew will spend their time working for the Philadelphia Soul, an Arena Football team owned by Jon Bon Jovi. They also build a playground for Northern Home, a local care center for troubled youth, and spend quality time in Fiji.
Even with all of that scheduled activity, the houseguests probably manage to find time to enjoy Philadelphia’s active bar scene and the two hot tubs (one hot, one cool) in their house.