Survivor Pearl Islands - DVD Review

I'll resume my recaps of the current Survivor, Heroes vs. Villains installment next week (oh Tyson!), but for now I'd like to review one of my favorite seasons of Survivor on DVD. Aired during the Fall Season of 2003 on CBS, most fans will tell you that Survivor: Pearl Islands had many qualities to make it one of the most entertaining seasons of the Survivor franchise. Key among them is the varied and engaging cast of characters. One that comes to mind is Andrew Savage, the hot, fortyish attorney with thighs that could splinter an Oak. Equally memorable is Burton, the marketing executive from San Francisco whose thighs could perform a similar number on a Ponderosa Pine. Levity and eye candy aside, most of the folks who participated in this Panama edition were arguably the most cut throat, ambitious crew, even prompting host Jeff Probst to quip at one Tribal Council, "Clearly, you have become the masters of the blindside".

Other players who made this such a memorable go-around included loopy Boy Scout leader, Lil and the brash office assistant, Sandra. Despite her constant swearing and foul language, it was Sandra's frank and plucky demeanor that also made her very likable to her tribe mates and TV viewers alike. No matter how hard you try, you can't forget the calculating Johnny "Fairplay", a conniving weasel who wasn't above fabricating a lie about his grandmother's death in order to gain the sympathetic upper hand with his tribe mates. And then, of course, there's the tie-dye wearing Hagrid clone, Rupert - easily one of the most lovable and popular players of the entire Survivor series. Plundering the opposing team's shoes with a mischievous grin, Rupert instantly endeared himself to hoards of Survivor fans.

The Pearl Islands edition of Survivor is what happens when a good reality TV program demonstrates how great it can be when all of its conceptual elements fall into perfect place - i.e., how does someone adapt and respond to the vicissitudes of the game, all while maintaining the mental fortitude to survive the attendant brutal, climatic conditions? Stressful situations will always reveal a person's true character and this is what I find so fascinating about Survivor. It's a social experiment via pressure cooker tactics. With its fair share of twists, (Survivor manages to tweak the format of the show with every installment) this season kept everyone on their toes, and it made for great TV.

The game started interestingly enough when all 16 castaways were subject to a pirate theme; the two teams of 8 called Drake and Morgan were immediately ordered to "walk the plank" and jump overboard in their regular clothes. It was game on from there. In the following days, who could predict that big, burly Osten would quit the game, the first player ever to do so?

Upset and shocked that her ally Rupert was voted out, who knew that Sandra would trash the tribe's food supply in spiteful retaliation and then let her only other partner, Christa, take the blame for it? Midway through the game, the ousted members were given a second chance to compete as a separate team called The Outcasts. Tried and true fans cried foul; I welcomed the new wrinkle, wondering how this would affect everyone else's game strategy.

Throughout the game and especially toward the end, alliances shifted constantly; double dealing, ceaseless mind games, backstabbing and manipulation were executed with such insouciance that you couldn't help but watch with hand rubbing anticipation where the axe would fall next. When the dust settled, two very unlikely players remained in the final two.

Every episode is faithfully reproduced on the 5-disc set which also contains the finale and cast member reunion. There's also a voice over commentary by past contestants for five of the episodes and another feature which highlights brief interviews of each player explaining his/her pre-game strategy.

This DVD set isn't going to make a convert out of anyone. If you didn't care for Survivor before, you never will. But for this Survivor fan, the Pearl Islands edition still represents the best season of this reality show.