# Did CBS Execs Bet on "Survivor"...?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cbs-execs-bet-on-survivor/376913>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [October 18, 2006, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cbs-execs-bet-on-survivor/376913 "2006-10-18T10:38:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cbs-execs-bet-on-survivor/376913/1 "2006-10-18T10:38:21Z")

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Does any Sdoper recall a news story from a few years back of some of the big suits at CBS (IIRC) placing bets (in a foreign country) on who’d be the winner on Survivor, and these betters were right every time? If you do recall this, did you ever hear anything more about any punishment? Seems to me this was all soon quietly forgotten.

Am I crazy? (Now, there’s a loaded question…) 😃

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**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cbs-execs-bet-on-survivor/376913/2 "2006-10-18T10:52:02Z")

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There have been a couple of incidents that have led overseas gamblings sites to terminate taking bets on Survivor. [Link](http://jam.canoe.ca/Television/TV_Shows/S/Survivor12/2006/04/11/1530169.html)

> [@](#):
>
> This is not the first time “Survivor” has been at the centre of a gambling scandal. During the “Amazon” season, it was revealed that some CBS employees were betting on [Bodog.com](http://Bodog.com) for either Jenna Morasca, the eventual winner, or Matthew Von Ertfelda to take home the million dollar cheque. When the “Pearl Islands” edition was on the air, another online betting site had to halt gambling on “Survivor” when they noticed a dubious number of bets being placed on contestant Sandra Diaz-Twine. Diaz-Twine went on to claim the title of “Sole Survivor.”

The speculation has been that lower level staffers who were aware of the outcome of the game were placing bets.

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**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cbs-execs-bet-on-survivor/376913/3 "2006-10-18T11:05:36Z")

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It seems to me it wasn’t just any employee of the network betting. I’m saying, whoever _they_ were, it’s too suspicious that _they_ were right every time. IIRC, there were high stakes involved, and after the third win in this bet, there were no takers for the next bet placed. :dubious:

Does this specific incident ring a bell with other SDopers?

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**Author:** ![carterba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85e7bf/32.png) [@carterba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carterba)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cbs-execs-bet-on-survivor/376913/4 "2006-10-18T14:12:09Z")

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Are you saying you think it was rigged?

The entire season is filmed before it’s aired. The season currently airing was filmed during the summer, for example. There are a lot of people working on the show and at CBS who know how it ends before the public has seen the first episode. The fact that they were right every time doesn’t mean it was rigged, no matter how high up the chain they are.