Survivor 16: Micronesia Fans vs. Favorites Debuts Feb. 7

Complete reviews, summaries, photos from each show here on my other blog. :)

We started watching Survivor with our youngest son when the series first started--the one with Colleen, who started off very cute. They literally almost starved on the first show. We watched her lose her boobs right before our eyes--and there wasn't much to start with. :) She did a post-Survivor Noxema commercial after her horrible Island rash cleared up :/. The winner was a highly strategic player who knew how to spear (catch) fish-- that was the "Naked Gay Fat Guy"--now serving serious federal time for not paying his taxes--from his million-dollar win as the first "sole survivor" on Survivor (!). What a dumbass. If he we're not a single parent, I'd laugh. There was a guy in his 60's/ 70's--Rudy-- a retired career military guy who made it to the final four on Richard's coattails. (If he were wearing clothes that is. He never did.) And there were a few other colourful characters. Can you tell I'm having a a giant Kahlua drink? Cheers!

Our family goes on and off watching it--though probably more "on" but I wasn't going to watch the next one because the most recent installment (filmed in China--which was cool) just broke my heart and left me with no one to root for. And it's now announced that it's a special one--Fans Versus Favorites (Survivor players, but not winners). I totally dig that Yeoman (older Asian (50ish?) guy, centered, mellow) is back as well as Ozzy--very much physically and instinctively a "survivor" and of course, James, a gravedigger. He had both the Immunity Idols in his passession and he dropped the ball and trusted everyone (!)-- just long enough for them to vote him and his two Immunity Idols right off! 

And two contestants in this show are from the greater Chicago area. Nice going, Midwest!

They’re off and running — and drowning and starving and backbiting and all those other good things that make up a season of the granddaddy of all reality shows.

Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites debuts Feb. 7 on CBS, which has revealed the new cast of challengers  Entertainment Weekly reports exclusively on its Web site.

As for the gimmick this season — the show’s 16th: “None of us felt like a full-on All-Stars was the right choice, because we did it once and since then so many other shows have done it,” says host Jeff Probst. “It felt like we needed a twist.”

So, this time, die-hard but neophyte fans will oppose “standouts” from past seasons.

Those shirtless boys and girls aiming to grab — after much effort — the grand prize of $1 million are (in alphabetical order, by their first names): Alexis Jones, 24, of Austin, Texas; Amanda Kimmel, 23, from Survivor: China; Ami Cusack, 34, Survivor: Vanuatu; Chet Welch, 48, Ford City, Penn.; Cirie Fields, 37, Survivor: Panama; Eliza Orlins, 25, Survivor: Vanuatu; Erik Reichenbach, 22, Ypsilanti, Mich.; James Clement, 30, Survivor: China; Jason Siksa, 22, Fox River Grove, Ill.; Joel Anderson, 32, Avondale, Ariz.; Jonathan Penner, 45, Survivor: Cook Islands; Jon Dalton, 33, Survivor: Pearl Islands; Kathleen Sleckman, 45, Glen Ellyn, Ill.; Mary Sartain, 29, Emeryville, Calif.; Michael Bortone; 34, Los Angeles; Natalie Bolton, 32, West Hollywood, Calif.; Ozzy Lusth, 26, Survivor: Cook Islands; Parvati Shallow, 25, Survivor: Cook Islands; Tracy Hughes-Wolf, 43, Fredericksburg, Va.; and Yau-Man Chan, 55, Survivor: Fiji.