Survivor -- it never ceases to amaze...

Here we have 20 people who likely went through an extensive audition
and interview process that probably took weeks, if not months, yet not
a single one of them bothered to spend an hour with a boy scout in
order to learn how to make fire.

Andy...

According to his Early Show interview, Sekou Bunch said he was
approached on a Friday to do the show, and on the following Thursday,
he was sequestered and on his way to Cook Islands.

Obveeus...

If that is true, then he is a last minute 'replacement player'. It has
happened before, such as the woman (Tina) that had to drop out at the last
minute because her son died in a car accident right before the show was to
start. In that case, she came back as a cast member in a future season. I
wonder if we will ever get to find out what happened to the guy Sekou
replaced.

Anim8rFSK...

Yeah, but he'd sent in an audition tape months before, right?

Default User...

Ha. I was in Scouts, no one I know ever successfully used one of those
methods they show in the Handbook for starting fire. It's just really
hard. Flint and steel is bad enough.

Anim8rFSK...

every

single

season

3r1c_3$7r4d4...

I was thinking the same. It was painful watching Seiko exhaust himself
using an impractical fire-making method. Hell, we're 13 seasons in now -
How is it possibe for contestants not to know how to make a fire?

I can tell you this, if I'd ever get picked for a show like "Survivor,"
you can bet I'd learn how to make fire out of two wet sponges.

Andy...

The only show I've seen where all the participants were required to
and able to start fire was Brat Camp. They were taught how to using
the bow and stick technique.

Obveeus...

Though finding a bow on the island may be a bit difficult...and
using/breaking a shoe lace can be a major detriment to your next 38 days on
the island.

trike...

Say, *there's* an idea -- they don't allow you to bring anything really
good with you, but I'll bet they don't check shoelaces and such. Just
bring laces which are twice as long as you need, then cut one in half
and make your fire-drill. Of course, on camera you shouldn't admit
that's what you did, but rather say something like, "I went to buy
shoelaces and they only had these super-long ones. Then when we all
were talking about making fire, I realized I could use one as a
fire-bow-thingy."

Anim8rFSK...

Why not just use your real shoelace, and put it back in later?

Ken from Chicago...

They'll start banning shoelaces?

Big Fat Guy...

A full 85% of this year's Survivor contestants were cast, as opposed
to applying to get on the show. Also, 13 of them are from Southern
California.

Steven L....

And every single season, I respond with the same point: On a tropical
island, where all the firewood and kindling are damp from the rainstorms
and high humidity, it's real hard to start a fire without matches.

Those friction methods you're probably thinking of, with firedrills and
rubbing wooden sticks together, assume that the wood and kindling are
dry. Not damp.

The only fire-making methods that can work reliably on a tropical island
are to find rocks you can use as flint to strike sparks, or to find an
object that can be used as a lens or focusing mirror. And for all we
know, Survivors have looked around for such things and haven't found
any. They are limited by security regulations and game rules as to how
far they can wander from camp; they can't wander all over the Cook
Islands in search of flint.

Ian J. Ball...

I must see this wet sponge/fire tricke!!!1!11!!

Ra...

Just impregnate your sponges with flint and magnesium particles and soak them in gasoline.
Better wear some thick gloves though.

Brandy Alexandre...

Oddly, Survivor always ceases to amaze me for just the reason your
describe. I am proud to have only watched one-half of one season only
for Colby Donaldson.

Default User...

Never ceases to amaze me of the strange things people take pride in.

Brian (proud to have posted this message)

Brandy Alexandre...

And I'm proud to be able to easily recognize a man who has been reject
by women by a number in the 4-digit area.

Default User...

Has been what?

Brandy Alexandre...

So sorry. I changed my mind on the tense and didn't change all the

Default User...

Not a problem.

Brandy Alexandre...

Nice snip. Embarrassed or something?

Default User...

I'm not following. I didn't make the mistake. I was just graciously
accepting your apology. What's the matter. Another bad day? Troy giving
you the vapors again?

words. I didn't realize there were people here so uneducated and
feeble-minded that they couldn't figure out the meaning from core
words. Oh well. If you're that curious I'm sure you can find someone
to help you with it. They may laugh under their breath, but they will
help.

Ken from Chicago...

Or at least carry a lighter with them.

cloud dreamer...

I believe they are searched before they are dumped into the water. Some
items are most likely not permitted.

INDTHNKR...

Ken from Chicago...

Strip searched? Body cavity searched?

Default User...

Thrown out of the game when the cameras see you with the contraband . .

Ra...

I don't think they even allow eyeglasses anymore,
ever since BB used his to start a fire.

Default User...

Well, Elisabeth had glasses in Season 2. I believe they do a refractive
test on them or something.

Obveeus...

Naw...they just take the lighter away. ;-)

.

Ken from Chicago...

Oh, um, nevermind.

What bothers me the most is the laer white teeth they all have... even
after 30 days in the "wilderness." After the first 2, the rest are
just more realistic episodes of "Lost."

Nancy2...

Not all.

Remember, these are fairly young contestants, and against a tanned or
brown skin, teeth look whiter. In addition, they don't have
cigarettes, coffee, tea or antibiotics, which are things which
regularly stain teeth. If they prepared correctly, the contestants
would have made individual appointments to get their teeth checked and
cleaned before they left for the island. Further, there are twigs

Anim8rFSK...

Oh, come on Nancy. They don't bother to take 5 minutes to read a boy
scout manual. You think they go to the dentist?

Obveeus...

I think the show provides every one of the cast members with free teeth
whitening if they want it.

As for fire starting...you couldn't do it. You are kidding yourself if you

Major ChrisB...

I'm sitting thinking that. Starting fire with two sticks is near
impossible. I was in the scouts for years and they never even attempted to
show us how to do it coz it was just pointless.

think you could.

Further, there are twigs

available everywhere, which native cultures have long used to scrub
their teeth (by first turning the ends of the broken twig into a brush
by working at it or chewing it).

Steven L....

That's not true either. Just to name two examples:
I heard that Kathy (S5) stripped most of the enamel off her teeth from
the acidic tropical fruits she ate. And in S11, Bruce busted a tooth;
we saw that happen in fact.

The Survivors are able to use sticks as floss, and sand as abrasive, to
at least get some of the gunk off their teeth. I remember Amber talked
about that in one of her "extra" confessionals available only via the S2
website.

GarondoMarondo...

Maybe they had fire but edited it to make it look like they didn't,
even had them act excited about the flint.

SoHillsGuy...

By the way, wasn't the tribal council a change in policy, when Jeff
gave the group flints? I always remembered in the past that teams that
hadn't 'earned' fire yet in the game weren't allowed to take the lit
torches from tribal council back with them to camp.

Major ChrisB...

it's a change back. They used to allow the team fire, the stopped that with
All Stars since they had played the game they had to step it up and no one
got flint until they won a challenge. They've changed it back to how it
originally worked.

Hunter Rose...

Yes, it was a change (although they granted tribes fire from
tribal council in at least one of the earlier seasons).

No fire = no safe water = dehydrated players = dull
television. I'm not surprised or offended that they gave them fire.
Also, with 4 teams this time, they don't want one at such a severe
disadvantage to all the others.

Anim8rFSK...

Jeff acted like this was the policy -- "Since you've been to tribal
council, you get fire" -- which I though was pretty lame. So the
winners get the flint, what, a whole afternoon before the losers?

Obveeus...

Since no one in 13 season's has managed to start a fire, you can bet that
they won't edit it out if/when it finally does happen.

As for people that think they could do better...wrong...naive...but they
probably watch the NFL and think they could be a better QB, too.