SURVIVOR II NEWS
THE SHOW
"In the year 2001 on CBS, the world will watch and experience the trials and tribulations as 16 Americans are eliminated one by one from the Australian Outback. The lone survivor will walk away with $1,000,000!"
(Courtesy of CBS)
There are a lot of rumors flying around the internet about Survivor 2 - and a lot of questions too. "Will they call me?" "How will I know if I get picked?" etc...
Our friend and co-applicant for S2, TC Conway collected the latest information here for all to enjoy. I hope this makes it easier for everyone that is waiting to hear if they are selected. If you hear of any further news, please CONTACT US!!!





Producer Mark Burnett demonstrated his true love for his fans and detractors by engineering the, now infamous, Final Four shots aired at the beginning of Episode 8. I read an interview with Mr. Burnett where he said, "I visit Survivorsucks and the other Survivor fan pages all the time. That's how I find out what people really think about the show."

THE LOCATION AND SELECTION PROCESS FOR SURVIVOR II: AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK
The Location

The site of the filming will supposedly be in Queensland, Australia - west of the Herbert River and southwest of Cairns. Mark Burnett used the same area for the 1997 Eco-Challenge Race. During the wet season it is very very hot and humid and will not get cold. It sounds like this climate will be very similar to Paluga Tiga.
Don't let anyone tell you that freshwater crocodiles are dangerous. It is the saltwater variety that are man-eaters, and they are very easy to differentiate. "Freshies", as the locals call them, are smaller and have a very pointy nose. "Salties" are very large and have a more rounded snout.
The vegetation is also something of a worry. There are a couple of plants to look out for "Lawyer Cane", which looks like a thin whip with barbs on it, is also known as "Wait-Awhile" because you have to wait a while to get it off your clothes and also because it takes a while to sting. The other plant is a stinging tree I am not sure what it looks like but I have heard it can cause excruciating pain. Other than that the area is very beautiful.


Selection Process

Here are the steps the Casting Personnel supposedly go through:
1. The first thing the Casting Personnel are doing right now is sorting all the entries that were received by the deadline. The ones that were late are discarded and not even considered.
2. Next they sort the remaining entries in to one of sixteen separate groups - one for each regional interview city.
3. Next they screen each entry for completeness. If ANYTHING that was required is missing, that entry is discarded.
4. The "good" entries are then scrutinized. Applications are read. Videotapes are viewed. This reading and viewing may be by several sets of eyes, multiple times. People are most likely "categorized" into several preconceived "types". Mark Burnett has denied this happens, but I do not believe him. (Excessively frivolous, silly, goofy, wacko, scary entries are most likely discarded. Serious, natural and intriguing entries are reserved for further review after being "categorized and typed".
5. The 50 best entries per regional site are selected from this remaining pool. Entries going for NYC or LA have worse odds of "making it" because of higher quantities. The selected 800 applicants are notified the week of 8/13/00 for initial interviews sometime during the week of 8/20/00 - if the Producers stick to their original timeline. Lucky applicants are also mailed their medical/legal forms the week of 8/13/00, which are then received by the applicants around 8/16-17. This only gives people three or four days to have everything completed for their initial interview.
6. All entries not selected for the semi-final 800 are filed away and the application process ends right there for them. Video tapes are retained in case that applicant applies again for another season. Rejected applicants ARE NOT NOTIFIED. If you don't hear anything by 8/25/00 it might be safe to assume that you have not been chosen for the semi-finals - Sorry. Let's hope I'm not one of them! hehe...
7. The 50 people interviewed at each regional city, (800 total nationwide, travel to the interview location they mentioned on their application envelope. All initial interviews are 15 minutes long and videotaped (more info).
8. After a few days after the final interview, the Casting Directors and Mark Burnett select the 48 semi-finalists who travel to Los Angeles in September.
9. From here, the 48 semi-finalists will undergo physical, mental and stress testing along with tons of interviews my many people, including Mark Burnett. A thorough background test of everyone will also be conducted. With this information, Mark Burnett will select the 16 finalists.
10. Travel to Australia will probably be around October 10, 2000. Filming will last October 15, 2000 through December 1, 2000. Hopefully we'll be back around December 10, 2000.
Note: It's worth pointing out that they didn't necessarily wait until the deadline passed to start this process. Entries received early are screened when received, most likely. Early "complete" entries submitted in June possibly have somewhat of an advantage because they had a bit more time devoted to them for scrutiny. Promising entries are set aside for review again after the deadline.
(Special thanks to Nexus from the Forums)