Spoiling Secrets : Burnett's Plan

Written by Jason Cain - Monday 22nd October 2001

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Has the internet finally met its match in Mark Burnett ? Apparently Yes. For the past two seasons of Survivor we have been watching Screen Shot by Screen Shot second by second trying to find that exclusive footage that can give us an insight to who gets voted off next and who wins at the challenges. In the first series of Survivor the website Survivor Sucks examined the preview footage given at the end of each episode and were then quite successful in determining who would be the next Survivor voted out of the tribe. Burnett had showed a clip of a future Tribal Council, we were then able to see which people are on the series now and who isn't in the clip and find out the next few people voted out of the Tribe. It was a bad mistake on Burnett's part but in an interview he stated that he didn't think people would be examining this footage so thoroughly. He then got us back by planting a fake picture of the final four including Colleen, Gervase, Rudy and Sean. When Gervase was voted off on episode ten of the series we discovered that we had been taken on a ride thanks to the shows Executive Producer Mark Burnett.

In the second series the website Ellipsis Brain Trust were successful in over 90% of the predictions they made on who would win the immunity and reward challenges and who would be voted off. This was amazing and the fact is that they were able to let us know the types of challenges including very specific details not show on previews shown during entertainment shows and the commercials. Many thought that some of Burnett's employees that worked onset in the Australian Outback for Series Two were behind the website trying to spoil the show for eager viewers despite the fact they signed very strict contracts not allowing them to discuss the show with anybody.

In the third series just starting now it looks like Burnett has learned from his mistakes and is determined to make this series a success in keeping the results of what happens in the show a secret. Mark Burnett has strong control over what Entertainment Shows including Entertainment Tonight, Inside Edition, E! News and Hollywood Access show to TV viewers trying to ensure his secrets are kept secrets until he wants them to be told. Before the second episode commenced many thought that a Samburu Tribe Member would be voted off. Surviiivor a new website creation made up of former Ellipsis Brain Trust Members were very confident that Boran would win the Immunity Challenge and a Samburu Tribe Member ((Linda Spencer) would be voted off. Message boards all over the internet including the Survivor Sucks and Survivor News Message boards had their own predictions including Brandon Quinton the openly gay bar tender and Linda Spencer the career adviser as the main Tribal Council Targets. Little did they know that Burnett had turned the tables and by the surprise of everybody not only did Samburu win the Immunity Challenge sending Boran back to Tribal Council for the second time running but Jessie Camacho who had a popularity rating on the CBS Official Site of 98% who was a keen favorite to win the series was voted out of the tribe in a result of 5 voted to 2.

At this stage most of us were surprised and shocked that Jessie had been voted off not only because of the result but the fact that we all thought it would be somebody from the opposing tribe. Such a strategy has more people watching the show as spoiling has become a thing of the past but will it last. Only time will tell in the result of the Third Immunity Challenge.

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