Survivor Africa preview review: in a word, weak.

Not that I expected much more, but...still. As predicted, it was the
losers telling us how to win. The winner, Tina, was the one who kept
saying it's largely luck. The whole idea of CBS having a special to teach
us how to watch their show is pretty stupid. Uh, it WAS the highest rated
show last year, seems like we figured it out just fine without a lesson,
CBS.
If there's one thing I know how to do, its watch a tv show!

I think one of the show's strengths is as a metaphor--everyone can think os
someone, be it in their work, dorm, family or whereever, that you'd "vote
off" if you had the chance. But in real life, you just have to deal with
that person. In "Survivor" there's some sad and frustrationg vote-offs to
be sure, but there's also those great moments when some clueless jerk gets
voted off because they are annoying, arrogant, loud or whatever, and we all
live vicariously through it.

Sue is still pathetic. Accusing Kelly of stabbing her in the back, still
unable to grasp how well Rich played her (a lot of hostility towards Rich
on the show, actually). She's doing tv guide commentary again but Alicia
has taken Gervase's spot with the counterpoint--should be fun. They both
refer to Survivor as a nice diversion from world events, and I couldn't
agree more--these idiot critics who think people won't watch survivor
because its real or its not real or its about greed or whatever---get a
life! I don't understand anyone looking at the deaths of 5,000 people and
saying, "Well, the good thing is this will kill reality tv," to be quite
honest. Again, it demonstrates an utter misconception of why we watch: We
don't watch it because we enjoy cruelty or money-grubbing or selfishness,
and anyone who lumps Survivor and the Mole in with Love Cruise or Fear
factor may as well do the same by lamenting I Love Lucy and Mary Tyler
Moore because of Married with Children and Veronica's Closet, or predicting
the doom of the the Sopranos because of Wolf Lake--this is terrible, there
goes the hour-long drama!. Crap and excellence can be found in every
genre, so quit picking on Survivor!! >:(

Rich and Keith weren't on the special, and that was great.

I was glad we didn't get too hard a look at the new show and contestants--I
want to watch the show unfold the way the others did. I was surprised to
see that Jennifer Lopez will be on Survivor, I thought she was doing okay
career-wise.

I think Frank might be the first off, he seems bossy, but both my sister
Jen and Gary have called Diane, the twice-divorced postal worker as the
most likely candidate--time will tell. They all seem craaazy, but maybe
that's because you have to seem crazy on your audition tape to get it
noticed.

I end with a question:

What would be more horrible than:

1) having a job which requires you attend a Richard Hatch motivational
seminar?

answer: Listening to it as a book on tape--as read by Sue.

2) getting sick and having your HMO assign you to Dr. Sean?

answer: watching him try to act on "Guiding Light".

3) attending a film screeing starring Jerri?

answer: attending a MUSICAL starring Jerri.

Next week, it begins! Survivor in Africa!! WoooooooHooooo!!!! Christine
:D