Survivor: Tocantins - The Brazilian Highlands - DU PICK A SURVIVOR GAME

[dr.strangelove]

Hey everyone. I hope all is well and everyone had a good holiday season. Happy belated New Year and welcome to another exciting edition of PICK A SURVIVOR. For those of you who don;t know what I am talking about, its a fun game I run here at DU each television season in connection with thte CBS "reality" program Survivor. As with last season, Gabon, CBS has announced that this season will shot in high definition.

This season we are off to Tocantins, Brazil. Tocantins is a state in Brazil. Its a new state, according to wiki, it was formed in 1988. It is made up primarily of highlands and the lands surrounding the Araguaia and Tocantins rivers. Something called the Jalapão is at the merger of the rivers where there is "a true oases in the dry landscape." Sound really cool. Survivor will be sure to draw upon the history of the location. Tocantins' first european explorers were Jesuit missionaries, but thats all I could find on wiki. The region has been isolated by its geography, so probably has tremendous indigious culture. I can't wait to learn more about this region.

The rules for my DU Survivor game are the same as always, but I will leave the contest open another week if you want to chane yoru pick or join us late. Its easy, pick a survivor and we see whose pick goes the farthest in the game. We've had years where someone picked the winner and years where we had no one left by the time the final four roled around. Hopefully this year will be good. If you have played before, please do so again. If not, join us. The prize is a t-shirt with a survivor logo on it. I'll mail it to you at the end of the season. I'd like to thank Suich, who won last season and donated the t-shirt to this season's winner. Thanks for being such a great sport.

Here are the rules, the contest opens this Thursday, February 5, 2009 at 9:00 am (Eastern time). DO NOT MAKE ANY PICKS UNTIL THE CONTEST OPENS on February 5 or the will not count! The first episode airs a week later on Thursday, February 12, 2009 at 8:00 PM ET / 7:00 CT. The contest remains open until Sunday February 22 at 11:59 pm, which is three days after teh second episode. This way if anyone misses the first week, they can still get in. Also, if your pick is ousted in week one or two, feel free to pick again.

Once a player is picked, that player can not be selected by anyone else. The first to post a player gets that player. The longer you wait, the greater the chance that the player you want will be taken. This allows people who want to go to CBS.com and view the videos there, plus the TV Guide channel promo, make an early selection before the show airs. It also allows people who want to wait and pick after watching the first and second episodes to play.

Good Luck and I hope you all play. Also, please do not discuss any spoilers in this thread. If you know who wins or have some inside info, feel free to use it to make your pick, but I don't want to hear about it. I like to watch the season unspoiled.

Here are this years "castaways." CBS already broke them into two tribes, but I would guess that won't last too long:

Jalapao Red Tribe :

1. Sandy Burgin, 53, bus driver from Louisville, Kentucky

2. Stephen Fishbach, 29, corporate consultant from New York City, New York

3. James Thomas Jr., 24, cattle rancher from Samson, Alabama.

4. Spencer Duhm, 19, college sophomore from Lakeland, Florida

5. Sydney Wheeler, 24, model/interior designer from San Diego, CA

6. Carolina Eastwood, 26, bartender from Los Angeles, CA

7. Taj Johnson-George, 37, singer/songwriter (former member R&B group SWV) from Nashville

8. Joe Dowdle, 26, commercial real-estate broker from Austin, Texas


Timbira Black Tribe :

1. Jerry Sims, 49, U.S. Army sergeant from Rock Hill, S.C.

2. Candace Smith, 31, lawyer/actress/event planner from Los Angeles, CA

3. Tyson Apostol, 29, bike-shop manager from Lindon, Utah

4. Sierra Reed, 23, model from Los Angeles, CA

5. Erinn Lobdell, 26, hairstylist from Waukesha, Wisconsin

6. Benjamin Wade, 37, soccer coach (part-time orchestra conductor) from Bolivar, Mo

7. Debra Beebe, 46, middle school principal from Auburn, Alabama

8. Brendan Synnot, 30, entrepreneur from New York City, New York

Maybe this year I will get past week 6. Talk to you all soon. Good luck and enjoy the season.

[MaineDem]

1. I do so poorly at picking...

Maybe this time I'll just divebomb the list and see who I come up with. No more logic for me. :rofl:

I can't believe it's on again so soon.

[dr.strangelove]

2. I know

I love that they air two seasons per year. Its oen of the only TV shows I really look forward to.

I suck at picking. Maybe I'll just close my eyes and point at the screen. I was thinking I would throw a dart ata map and pick the player whose hometown is closest.

[Qanisqineq]

3. I picked the winner for Strangelove's first Survivor challenge

but since then I've done terrible. I just don't know who to choose this season, no one really jumps out at me. Last season I picked the doctor kid (forget his name now) because he seemed nice, smart, athletic, etc. but he was a dud.

[dr.strangelove]

4. Hey Qanisqineq

Hope you are well.
I'm with you, none of these players excite me. Last year I went with Jackie, who we never saw until she was evicted. My best year I went with Yao Man, but for the most part I am terrible.

[lpbk2713]

5. Thanks for hosting the contest again Doc.

I threw an imaginary dart at the names and came up with Benjamin.

I sat out the last game but will be happy to participate this go around.

And thanks for the t-shirt too, I wear it with pride. If I should be so

lucky as to win this time I'll pass on the t-shirt. I can only wear one

at a time anyhow. Thanks again and good luck to all.

:thumbsup: :hi: :thumbsup:

[dr.strangelove]

8. Lpbk2713 has Benjamin

I think I'm doing the imaginary dartboard as well.
Good luck.

[romana]

6. My pick

First time player here.

Well, I did a blind pick and came up with Benjamin, and then saw that someone beat me to it.

So I choose Debra Beebe.

Good luck to everyone!

[dr.strangelove]

9. Romana has Debra Beebe

Welcome to our contest. Its pretty fun. If you know anyone else who wants to join, please spread the word.
I try to post a summary of each week and we sometimes discuss the episodes, so please drop in from time to time and tell us what you think.

[romana]

11. Thanks

I've been participating in the discussions here for awhile now and look forward to your summary/commentary after each episode. This is about the only place on DU where I post. :P

[dr.strangelove]

13. Me too

I visit the sports forum a few times per year, but I stay out of the Lounge and GD mostly, unless a freidn directs me to something specific. Thats okay, I love the group here in this forum. Reall good people here.
Hopefully we can all enjoy another good season together. Thanks for playing.

[Qanisqineq]

7. I choose Brendan

I know I'm a little early (time zone differences and all) and if I have to pick someone else later, just let me know! I'm not terrible attached to Brendan so I won't mind. My luck he'll be cocky and arrogant and kicked off soon anyway. :P

[Qanisqineq]

16. Oh great!

I just read that my fool is a millionaire. He invented some kind of granola or something and sold it to Kellogg's/Post/General Mills (I don't recall which one). If anyone finds out, he is history. :rofl:

[Qanisqineq]

21. I'm out!

I couldn't even watch most of the episode. I knew before I watched it that Brendan had been eliminated. It wasn't so much that I was angry Brendan was gone, I was more angry Taj and JT and Stephen sided with COACH and voted Brendan out before Coach. That man is a piece of work.

[dr.strangelove]

10. I'm going with the kid - Spencer Duhm

Picking people based on their careers and experience has not served em well, so I'll go the other way. This time I'll go with youth and lack of any experience other than watching TV. Spencer is the baby of the group.

[MaineDem]

12. James (JT)

Simply a blind guess. Although I'm intrigued by Benjamin.

[dr.strangelove]

22. CONGRATS

MaineDem, you won.

[Demit]

14. I'll take Tyson Apostol, totally sight unseen, if no one has picked him yet.

[Vinca]

15. Sight unseen, I'll pick Stephen Fishbach.

If he's a corporate consultant he might be a real weasel and back stab his way to the top.

[Duer 157099]

17. I'll take Joe if he's still available

I liked him and JT after watching the first episode

[qanda]

18. I'll take Jerry Sims

[Suich]

19. I'll take Erinn. n/t

[dr.strangelove]

20. I like her, thats a good pick

I think she will do well.

[dr.strangelove]

23. CONGRATS MAINE DEM!

Actually, congrats to all of us. We picked 4 of the final 5 and the final 3. Good job everyone.
Yet again, I picked someone at the top row of the reunion show. I am so bad at this.

Well, MaineDem won the game. Congrats to you. I'm glad. You were so good about posting stuff about Bob last year. I really got to know him because of all the cool news you shared. So congrats. Karma comes through to a good and frequent poster.

I have a tan Survivor China shirt. Its size 2x, but I am sure it can shrink if you wash it in hot and dry it on high. Its a nice shirt.
Let me knwo where to send it. I ship it priority, so it should only take a few days.

[MaineDem]

24. Wow! I finally picked the winner.

Dr S, thank you so much for all you do to make watching Survivor a fun experience.

It's hard to pick a winner sight unseen like we do. I was "intrigued" by Coach reading his bio. I'm so glad I didn't go with him.

I will wear the shirt proudly. Thank you again.