Is there a website which discloses what goes on off camera or is edited out on Survivor. For example, while only about five minutes of tribal counsel is shown, does it could actually take five hours. I’m not looking for shock and scandal, but being a TV show, there is always stuff that won’t make it on air.
Well, there are usually video clips at Survivor on www.cbs.com
I got this one.
Each show on Survivor, as you know, generally spans a 3-day period, with the exception of the Final 4 episode. Each “Survivor tour” lasts for 39 days.
Based on interviews and conversations with past Survivor contestants, the general consensus is that each Tribal Council lasts anywhere from 90 minutes to 3 hours of time. Notice how all the questions that Jeffy asks the troops ties in directly to the show’s edits? Not a coincidence! They shoot a ton of stuff we’ll never see at the Tribal Councils, and (at least, according to Survivor: AS runner-up Rob Mariano) you wouldn’t really want to see it, anyway. Painfully boring and generally not very insightful.
Also, here’s another bit of trivia: Since season 2 (Survivor: The Australian Outback) all the contestants are filmed having their torches snuffed out at their team’s first Tribal Council. Reason? So Mark Burnett and CBS can intentionally leak false information to spies, and there are plenty to leak to.
If you’re interested in some behind-the-scenes stuff, E! Entertainment still runs their “Behind the Scenes: Survivor” special every so often, and it’s pretty good stuff. In addition, the book “Survivor: The Ultimate Game”, written by Mark Burnett, is also good.
There was also a pretty decent VH1 “Inside: Survivor” show that shed some light on this stuff.
Also, many of the episodes on the DVDs have great commentary and backstory.
Particularly amusing on the AStars DVD: Chapera holds a fake tribal council, with each of the Survivors mocking fellow contestants from the other teams.