FGN: Can Survivor secrets survive?

AAP General News (Australia)
12-27-2000
FGN: Can Survivor secrets survive?

By Dale Paget

GOLD COAST, Qld, Dec 27 AAP - Staying alive in the Australian outback may be easier
than keeping the secrets of Survivor 2 until the hit television show airs in the US next
month.

The American television network, CBS, which produced Survivor 2 The Australian Outback
has kept a cloak of secrecy drawn tight over the shoot that finished earlier this month
on the banks of the Herbert River in North Queensland.

But devotees of the popular television series are breaking the media blackout by posting
regular unofficial updates on the Internet.

The sites reveal names and biographies as well as several photos of the 16 castaways
competing for the US$1 million prize money.

The author of a book on the first Survivor series, Peter Lance, announced on his website
(www.thestingray.net) that the Americans competing in Survivor 2 will be broken into two
tribes - the Kucha and the Ogakor - which he said are the aboriginal words for kangaroo
and crocodile.

In the show the two tribes compete against each other to win food and immunity from
having to vote a member out of the camp at a forum called the tribal council.

Quoting a crew member known as "Deep Kangaroo", Mr Lance said the contestants include
"a beautiful film actress, a world renowned chef, a retired policewoman and a host of
other very bodacious and very buff young competitors."

Another site, www.survivornews.net, reports that a cheerleader, a bartender and a television
commercial producer were also selected for the series.

The oldest survivor is 51 with most of the competitors in their 20s.

The level of interest in the series is revealed on the www.survivorsucks.com website
where more than 2,500 messages have been posted about the new series.

There are unconfirmed reports that CBS has kept the name of the winner secret by placing
the votes from the final tribal council in a locked box to be opened and counted when
the last episode of the show airs.

The original Survivor series attracted an average of almost 28 million viewers an episode
in the US.

The Survivor 2 series will be broadcast on CBS starting on January 28 after the Super
Bowl gridiron final.

AAP dp/cjh/de

KEYWORD: SURVIVOR

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