CBS Survivor!

I guess I am the only one who thought it was pretty cool. It might not have been the best survival show, but it is the "only" survival show I have ever seen on TV. You have to understand that a lot of us are "real" survivalists. The people on this show are not. You can't expect too much from them. Don't you think the show would be a little bit boring if all of the contestants were survival experts? There would be no real strugle. From most of the comments so far it sounds like everyone would rather see a show with survival experts equiped with their choice of the finest equipment. Again, where would the challenge be?

Another thing that I like about this show is that it shows how real people work. People wanted to vote out people simply because they did not like them. Even if the person could be valuable to the team they would vote em out because they didn't like the way someone gave orders. It shows how petty and unintelligent real people can be.

I also don't think the show is as weak and commercialzed as everyone else thinks. In one scene a guy caught a rat and cut it's head off to use it as bait. That's pretty hard core. You have to remember that it's still TV, and we are not going to see a real life lord of the flies. Take it for what it is; entertainment.

I am looking forward to the next episode.

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Louis Buccellato
http://www.themartialway.com
Knives, Weapons and equipment. Best prices anywhere.
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"only the paranoid will survive"

[This message has been edited by TheMartialWay (edited 06-01-2000).]
 
Yep their knives are bad. They appear to be old knives that were rusting away somewhere. It probably will get intersting. They'll have to eat rats! They trapped a rat, then used it for bait in a fish trap. Some of the group couldn't watch when the head was chopped off. The ex-SEAL and the corporate guy(who said he has had survival training) appear to be the competent and realxed ones so far. I'm trying to figure out why the ex-SEAL didn't bring along his Kabar. He must have had one laying around at home.


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K. Williams
Modern Arnis Student
AKTI Member #A000978


[This message has been edited by K Williams (edited 06-01-2000).]
 
Yah,
I was wondering about this "former SEAL" myself. There's something about him that rings like a lead bell.
Dan
 
I did find parts interesting. the knives wouldn't have been my first choice, but you're right, maybe they had no choice.

The firestarting was interesting. One guy on one team brought a lens. The others tried unsuccessfully to use friction. Fire by committee?

Mike
 
Hey Guys....

Yup,, somehow that old Seal dude is strange...

Being a Navy Seal he should have been the one to get the fire going...If not at least he could have assisted or instructed the others to start a fire.

Just the fact that he was a Seal and their Tribe Didn't have fire should have been enough to have him Shot.

At least the Japanese commit Hari Kari when they disgrace themselves!!

The Machette snapping off was a Setup..
Some knifemaker somewhere hardened that thing right at the handle to 500RC so it would snap like a twig the first time it hit something hard...

And then you have Everyone walking around in Beachwear... The Girls in braless tank tops and bikini bottoms and the guys with Tents in their pants.. No wonder no one can concentrate on anything....
smile.gif


Everyone is uncovered, catching as much sun as they possibly can. Pass the Coppertone Dude!!!

The last thing I want to do in a survival situation is catch lots of sun, unless it's Novemeber in Canada...

How long are they suppose to spend on the island ??? They'll be Baked by the end of the week...


I also liked where they pitch their Hooches..Right up on the beach...Exposed to the elements.. LOL

It's a humorous show to say the least....

ttyle Eric....

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Eric E. Noeldechen
On/Scene Tactical
http://www.mnsi.net/~nbtnoel
Custom made, High Quality
Concealex Sheaths and Tool Holsters
Canada's Only Custom Concealex Shop!



[This message has been edited by Normark (edited 06-01-2000).]
 
Hey, it is re-run season again, so I may watch a few more episodes. Who knows ? The producers may try to save the show and modify the format a tad... Maybe Jessica Fletcher ("Murder She Wrote") will come floating up on the beach on a piece of driftwood, and we all know what happens when she shows up! People end up dead, the million dollars disappears, and everyone is the suspect (the MC did it!).

Or one of the two groups goes to the other side of the island and finds Gilligan and his 13 kids and their moms, Ginger and Mary Ann (I like Mary Ann the best!) having a coconut pie eating contest. I think we saw more survival techniques and training on Gilligans Island, but I have been wrong before.


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AirMojo the Airgunning Harmonica Man
 
Okay folks, we know it was pretty lame, but it does show you how clueless most of society is, and I agree that the social difficulties are interesting. Not to mention the lack of basic skills (ie, did you notice the fellow who was trying to chop the bamboo with the ax by striking dead on, with no "angle")....he's the fellow that broke that cheap machete. This kind of action is common among my "city" friends.

I'm not sure of the rules, but when I tuned in they were frantically throwing stuff in the water...they did not seem know what they had....nor did they seem to have the choice to bring anything with them other than their clothes.

I was curious though, that no one used a bow and drill for the fire starting exercise.

I did notice that the knife the girl was using to get the knots out of her hair, was a damascus blade...

....my observations.
 
I'm not so sure that the blad was damascus as much as it looked really rust pitted to me. And what was she doing with that thing anyways? Looked like combing her hair?

Yep, here we are, with "Jerry Springer and "The Real World" meet "Lord of the Flies".

Mind you, I might not mind being stuck on an island with a couple of the younger cuties they had, but c'mon, they really seem to be stretching credibility there.

You man after being selected, not one person had the inkling to even open up a decent survival or wilderness book and catch up on a bit of fact finding? At least one person has some sort of medical experience.

I'm curious about what kind of rules were set when they packed for the island. Was there a list of "you can't bring..." to make for more interesting TV? Most of us can put together a basic survival package the size of a carton of cigarettes instead of bringing additional bottles of coppertone and tube tops. And yeah, Pops might be an ex-SEAL, but I think maybe old age was catching up to him at this point.

I'll probably watch a couple other episodes of "As the Island Turns" or "The Survivors and the Restless" and see how it's shaping up, but I really think this whole melodrama is more about ratings and popularity than any real survival exercise.


And Jeff, when you said, "Greg, ... If you and I were a part of this thing we would have been voted off right off the bat...most likely by the producers" I think you may be mistaken. After all, the two of you would have been skinned and eaten the Hollywierdos by then, don't you think? Or at least used them as bait...
wink.gif

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Don LeHue

Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings...they did it by killing all those who opposed them.

[This message has been edited by DonL (edited 06-01-2000).]
 
Actually, I think if Jeff, Ron and Greg were there, they would have a 5 star resort built in the first day with automated waving palm frons and hammocks facing a nice view of the beach eating fish fillets and rat-kabobs; and probably working on some kinda still to make some spirits for the party later...

...then no doubt they would hang the rest of the "team" members (and the other team) in a tree somewhere and build a small (30 footer or so) sail boat and head for home.
smile.gif


Seriously though, if that was a real survival situation I think that they would all be dead inside a week. What was it that Clint Eastwood said in that movie (Heartbreak Ridge?)..."Cluster F**k".

I had to watch it though...guess that's what the producers wanted...

Darren
 
Of course we wouldn't 'hang' everyone. The good looking women would get special favor
smile.gif


Hey! real world baby!

Was there any good looking women in the group? The only thing I saw of the show was the last minute which was a preview of next week's show.

Although I would not liked to have been a contestant it would have been interesting to be a bystander watching everything that went on. The B roll is always better than the edited and 'for television' out takes.

Jeff

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Randall's Adventure & Training
jeff@jungletraining.com
 
Good point Jeff... I'm hoping that they come out with "Survive, too hardcore for TV!" on video.

I just had a thought... fifty years ago, most citizens had the basic skills that these folks sorely lack.

I think they should make it interesting... have someone disappear. Someone was a plant from the beginning, and then they just disappear. See how the others deal with it.

Sociology on parade. What a frightening commentary on our culture. Bread and circuses!

 
I wondered about the rules and restrictions. Neither team had matches, or lighters. At the very least you'd have assumed someone would bring some cigarettes and a lighter..., or just a box of matches.

The one group lucked out that one of their members wore glasses, and they were able to start a fire. And that's the group that "won" the 50 waterproof matches! <g>

I get the impression they were stuck with what the studio had put in boxes on the deck of their boat. Then they had, what.., 2 minutes to throw what they could no a raft? I didn't get the impression they had any idea what they were taking with them, and I only saw one small backpack on one of the participants (you'd think they'd each have a small backpack with personal meds, a decent knife, some matches, etc.)

I think I'd have a *lot* more problems with the social aspects of the thing, than the survival. Everyone seemed to be strutting around, either giving orders, or making a show of not listening to them.

I agree that Rudy (the ex-Seal) probably has some useful skills.., but his attitude (He said if it were up to him, he'd give 'em all haircuts, and have them marching and doing drills) leaves much to be desired. The fact that he got 3 votes on expelling him (1 less than Sonja, who was expelled) doesn't bode well for his continued existence on the island
smile.gif


And, yeah..., the guy who was chopping straight into the bamboo with the hatchet (with the bamboo lying on grass and sand (already a soft medium)), when the bamboo had already split and was absorbing most of the blows... then trying the "machete" and breaking it off at the handle with the first swing. I think I'd be a little more upset with losing a valuable tool than just saying "Well, that's not gonna work"!!!

These folks don't have a survival mentality. The closest might have been the older man in the group with fire. He, at least, was trying to build what appeared to be a raised floor for a shelter... keeping them off the ground and, perhaps, helping reduce insect and snake intrusions.
 
I know I'm in the minority, but I enjoyed it. Real survival? Of course not. But closer than anything else on TV. If I were teaching survival, I'd try to get the whole thing on tape. Excellent opportunities for learning by discussing what they did WRONG. And in just the first couple of minutes. What occurred to me immediately was that everyone was wasting a lot of energy. Example: trying to pull the raft by swimming as if this were a triathlon. Some participants were completely exhausted before they hit the beach. And when they were getting out of the boat, did you see the machette almost fall into the water? Of course, that could have been done for the benefit of the camera. And when one group hit the beach their immediate concern was where to locate the latrine. I've been to Greg's suvival course (highly recommended by the way) and I don't recall the location of the latrine anywhere within his survival priorities! I accept it for what it is, will watch it and enjoy it (if it isn't cancelled). But like I said, I think there is excellent material for discussion here. One could easily plan a month of good scout meetings around the first episode: how do you evacuate a boat, what would you take with you if you had a choice, what is the best way to move a raft, personal drown-proofing, survival priorities, how important is a latrine, what about taking a complete inventory of what you have on hand, is leadership important, how to start a fire with bamboo, importace of teamwork, etc, etc, etc. The list is endless. And that's just the first episode. Makes me wish I was still a scoutmaster. If the whole series comes out on video, I'll buy it.

Besides, if this does well in the ratings, maybe someone will come up with an even better series.

Bill Qualls
 
Evening folks!
Just to point something out,They were only allowed to bring cloths,and very few at that!
I think the 2 teams were giving 2 mins to salvage all they could off the boat that brought them to the island.This was both teams at the same time.The boxes they took off the boat were full of many usefull things
such as rope,fuel,maps to locate water..thats all I can remember...oh cheap knifes,cant forget that.
Like Louis said,these are regular everyday people,not survivalist.Im just waiting for the HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS to show up and show them all how to play Basketball.
Lets all wait and see what happenes next week befor we totaly bash the show.Maybe someone will get a Piece of Ass.That would prolly be my first move
smile.gif
.
It just goes to show you if the $hit ever realy hits the fan in this country,75% or better of us are gona be screwed.I hope im not 1.
Good day


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Jay
Life is like a box of chocolates,never know what your gona git!
 
Stihl,

I laughed pretty hard when I read your post. I agree... a "piece of ass" would be a high priority. Let see now... hmmmm... survival stress is something that needs to be dealt with doesn't it
smile.gif


I believe that survival comes down to a simple three step process:

1. STOP AND RECOGINIZE the situation for what it is.

2. IDENTIFY AND PRIORITIZE your "five survival essentials" (listed below) in order of preference for the environment you are in.

3. IMPROVISE, using both your manmade and natural resources, to meet your needs specific to the environment you are in.

If you do these three things then I believe you can survive in any environment in the world.

the "five survival essentials" are:

1. Personal Protection (clothing, shelter, fire)
2. Signaling (manmade and improvised)
3. Sustenance (water and food Identification, procurment, and preperation)
4. Travel (with and without a map and compass)
5. Health (psychological stress, traumatic injury, environmental injury)

Now with this in mind.... perhaps taking care of our psychological stress can be found in Stihls post. I'll let you all decide at what point it should be put within the priorities of the day
smile.gif


Originally posted by STIHL:
Evening folks!
Lets all wait and see what happenes next week befor we totaly bash the show.Maybe someone will get a Piece of Ass.That would prolly be my first move
smile.gif
.
Click to expand...

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Greg Davenport
http://www.ssurvival.com
Are You Ready For The Challenge?
Are You Ready To Learn The Art Of Wilderness Survival?

 
I thought that the show was pretty funny.

Also, I thought that it was interesting to realize some of the "personality" problems that you might encounter if you were stuck in a real survival situation with a group of undisciplined and untrained lame brains. Dealing with your fellow survivors could actually become one of your more challenging tasks.

Imagine your reaction when one or several of the totaly unprepared and clueless survivors approaches you and tells you that they need "the knife" (that would be the one you thought to bring just in case) to pry open a coconut.
 
Bill...

Thanks for the endorsement. I have fond memories of your class.

BTW... would anyone out there be willing to tape the show for me? I have a tv... just no dish or cable (yeah). Bill has made some good points about the merit of using the show as a teaching aid
smile.gif


Of course I'd pay for the tapes and the cost of postage
smile.gif


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Greg Davenport
http://www.ssurvival.com
Are You Ready For The Challenge?
Are You Ready To Learn The Art Of Wilderness Survival?

 
Greg,

I recorded the first episode..., I'm sure we could arrange to get it to you somehow. And I'll probably record the rest. I seldom watch a show when it's actually ON! <g>.., I wait 'til I have time and inclination.

Anyway.., it's only 12 episodes. Two six hour tapes, unless you want to watch each episode each week.., in which case, I guess you'd need 12 tapes <s>.
 
Saw in the paper today...., for those of you who missed the first episode of "Survivors" on Wed. The broadcast went "so well!"
smile.gif
that CBS will rebroadcast the first episode on Sat. at 10 (I assume that's "10pm EST).
 
The SEAL is 75 years old, if I remember right. That would mean that he was probably UDT/NCDU in WW2 and has experience in jungle warfare/survival, unless he was in the Eurpoean theater. He probably knows some basic survival skills. He might even have served in Vietnam, which would be even more jungle training & experience.


 
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