Watching Survivor

Alright, alright. I was hoping for some confirmation before I added this rumor to the list, but that’s not gonna happen just yet (though I AM trying to get some still!) so here we go!

The internets are buzzing with the thoughts that next spring, Survivor 16, will be an All-Star season once again, despite all the nay-sayers - the biggest of which is Jeff Probst, himself, who hated the last All Star Season.

Of all the speculation, only Oscar Dahl and Buddy TV has listed more then one reason why it makes sense that it would happen in spring of 2008:

Reason #1 – Seven normal seasons, one All-Star season
Like Bright Eyes, I believe in symmetry and I’m supposing that Mark Burnett may as well. Survivor: All-Stars was the show’s eighth season. Since then, we’ve had seven normal seasons. Perfect timing for another All-Stars, right?

Reason #2 – Jeff Probst is only signed through season 16
Probst hasn’t talked retirement just yet, but there have been assorted rumblings surrounding the possibility of the great one’s departure. If, secretly, Probst has decided to fade into the sunset after season 16, then doesn’t the franchise owe it to America’s greatest TV hosting asset (Barker just retired, Trebek hasn’t been the same since waxed his mustache area, and Seacrest is still a little too Seacrest-y) to send him off in grand fashion?

Reason #3 – Survivor has only been renewed through season 16
Yeah, that’s right. CBS has yet to give Survivor a contract for any seasons past 16. What does this mean? It could mean nothing, or it could mean that Survivor will be finished, for good, sometime next Spring. While this would be a tragedy of Rosie-hosting-The Price is Right proportions, you never know, it could happen. If this turns out to be the case and Survivor is canceled, you have to expect the show to go out with a bang. It’s Mark Burnett’s baby, and he’d likely want to give it the biggest farewell he could, and another All-Stars would fit that bill.

Oscar further predicts the setting of this Allstars would be perfect if it completed the whole cycle, and took us back to Borneo, the sight of the first Survivor Season.

Elsewhere on the net, there is a ’scan’ of an article that suggests Probst has confirmed this, but no one will say where the article came from so I find that highly suspect. The biggest claim to ‘inside sources’ is from Tashi Tagg, from Entertainment at iafrica.com, where they are still watching Survivor: Cook Islands - currently 2 seasons behind American TV. Tashi claims to have a very good inside source that confirms the rumors, which he (the source) heard from the Past Survivors he knows.

The other rumor revolving around the possible All Stars is that it won’t be based on the most popular players, but those who most deserve a second chance, and it’d involve only seasons 9-15. That would put most of the winners out, as well as Ozzy and quite possibly Yau-man, and those are the names just off the top of my head - there are a lot of fan favorites that would be left out if that’s the case. It would also keep Dreamz away, which would be a plus.

So - what’s the scoop? What do you think of another All Star Season? Who would you pick as most deserving? Who would you want to see give it a go again?

Survivor, Survivor: China, All Stars, CBS, Jeff Probst, Reality TV, rumors, contestants