He looks a lot different in this picture to me then he did on the show.
After the merge it was clear it was a numbers game and Brandon Bellinger knew he had a big target on his head. But he tells The Early Show he did everything he could to muster inner-strength to stay on "Survivor: Guatemala." (CBS) On "Survivor: Guatemala," the newly merged tribe got off to a rough start. It was even rougher for Kansas farmer Brandon Bellinger, who couldn't overcome the numbers game and was the first to be put out to pasture.
It was not a surprise.
"I knew a long time ago," Brandon tells The Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith. "I mean, back when Amy (O'Hara) got voted off, like when we had the puzzle challenge, I was like, we've got to win this, otherwise Amy might go off and, god, I don't know. Then I was like, dude, I'm going off right after that. I played too strong of a game."
The only surprise came after the game, watching the show on TV and seeing Bobby Jon Drinkard making deals with Stephenie LaGrossa.
"I was somewhat surprised. Bobby Jon, he's a good buddy of mine and everything. And you see him kind of cut that deal with Stephenie," Brandon says. "Sometimes he is talking like 'I can't stand Stephenie' and all that stuff. 'I can't stand to be around her.' But the next thing you know he's hugging her. But Bobby Jon was trying to further himself in the game. I can't blame him for that."
Brandon's doom was evident, but he still tried to pump himself up to continue in the game. "You're always running out of gas. But you got a little extra petroleum, like, kick it into gear, go after it, man. Trying to work yourself up a little bit, psych yourself out a little bit."
In an exclusive scene for The Early Show, he is seen by himself, reflecting on the game:
"Things are starting to get a little bit tough. Don't have a lot of hope, to tell you the truth, of getting any further in this game. This is the end and I can feel it coming up on me. And I almost just want to quit. I want to lay down and die, I guess. Part of me does, but the other part of me says 'fight on and never give up.' "
"It was a great moment," Brandon says about the dramatic intensity of his monologue. "I was trying to prepare myself for the whole deal."
His only chance for survival was to get immunity, and there were two opportunities for it.
One was finding the immunity idol hidden in the jungle.
"That dirty sucker," Brandon says. "That's your one last chance, find this immunity idol hidden somewhere on this 10 acres of jungle, six-inch figure. And you're wandering all over the place looking up, down, all around, looking for this dang thing."
Like the others, he worked hard to find it to no avail. "They all set out right at once hoping to find it under the first rock and I realized, dude, it's going to be like a needle in the haystack and hard to find this sucker."
The other opportunity to keep playing was to get the immunity necklace. The challenge was to get to the top of Mayan pyramid first balancing a clay pot on his head.
"It was do or die at that point," Brandon says. "Gary (Hogeboom) beat me. It's as simple as that. That's all right, you know. At least I never got voted off by my own tribe mates, you know. I had my friends sticking by me, and I got voted off by the other guys. I was the victim of a minority. And that's all right. I can walk away with some good from that."
After that challenge, Bobby Jon convinced Brandon, a former Nakum member, that he was fed up with Jamie Newton's big mouth, making the six members of Nakum look like the evil tribe.
"I was really thinking like, this is 'Survivor,' things change just like that, man," Brandon says. "But deep down inside, I knew it was me. They had all their ducks in a row and I didn't have enough time to work my way into whatever. "
Since the merge, it was clear it was going to be a numbers game. Gone were the fun times for Yaxha.
"We go there, back in the Nakum camp. They were kind of down and depressed," Brandon explains. "They were complaining about quite a bit. And life was really good. I keep thinking back, like when it was me, Gary, Bobby Jon, Danni and Amy. We had such a good time. It was so great. Then we'd go to the merge, and you are just a little bit down."
The highlight for him was winning the pool for his tribe.
"When we won the pool after I chopped through that rope, that was the best feeling," he says. What was his secret to cutting that rope so fast? "When we were cutting the rope earlier in camp while setting up the tarp, I just realized it cut a lot faster when you use all your body weight."
Looking back he regrets not having voted off Bobby Jon when he had a chance. Both Bobby Jon and Stephenie had had their chance.
(CBS) You know him as "Boston Rob," one of primetime's most memorable wheeler-dealers. Rob Mariano is well-known for his negotiating skills.
Now, the two-time runner-up on "Survivor: All Stars" and "The Amazing Race" (and the husband of "All Stars" winner Amber Bkrich) has joined The Early Show as "Rob to the Rescue," a series in which the former reality star will help our viewers deal with real-life problems. His first assignment: Help a horse lover in Michigan mend some fences.
Sharon Rogala writes: "Dear Rob: My daughter, Kim, needs rescuing. She adopts horses and dogs, often saving them from the meat buyers or being abused. She tries to adopt out these animals when she can, but with the economy as it is, adoption is rare. It takes most of her income to feed them it leaves nothing left for repairs. Her heart is big and she has so much love for these animals. Can you help?"
The daughter, Kim Wainwright, says, "Since I was a little girl, I always loved horses and wanted one. We now have 17 horses here, and I would say 10 of them are retirement-rescue residents … The other paddocks, they're not always pretty, but they will function in some form or manner."
So Rob traveled to northern Michigan — "the rural part," he explains, "where the pavement ends and the dirt road begins, so to speak… It should be a fun afternoon."
When Rob met Kim, one of the first things they did was to inspect the fences, which looked like "a bunch of old crates" to Rob.
"They are pallets," Kim says. "Shipping pallets. Twine stuck together with them."
"Sometimes when the going gets tough, people give up," Rob says. "But I can tell that you're the type of woman …"
"I never gave up on anything," Kim interjects. "No."
"Obviously," Rob says. "This fence shows that. So let's see if we can build you a new fence, and we'll start there and see where that takes us."
The local support for this project was key. The fencing arrived from Michigan's Standish Mill and a group of local Mennonite farmers volunteered to put it up. Getting the first pole in was probably the hardest part. But after that, the fence started going up pretty quickly.
Sharon, Kim's mother, so moved by the efforts on her daughter's behalf, tells Rob, "Oh, I'm going to cry."
And Rob asks: "Did you ever think you'd get this kind of help from your community?"
"The community has been wonderful," Sharon says, "and people have come out of the woodwork to help."
The paddock that was once built of anything Kim could put together is now a great new space for her horses.
But Rob had a few surprises in store, too.
From Pet Smart, six doghouses for the dogs Kim rescues.
From KV Vet Supply, equine formula, ropes and blankets, and a $1,000 gift certificate.
Finally, Purina Mills also makes horse food, and they are going to donate four tons.
"So," Rob tells Kim, "you should be in good shape to continue doing what you are doing. You're a great woman." And to Sharon: "You're a great mom. I'm glad I could help."
Thanks also go to Ace Hardware for providing much of the building material for this project.
Look for Rob again next week on The Early Show when he'll help a group of housewives desperately in need of a rescue.
Friday Dec 09, 2005 8:00am EST
By Stephen M. Silverman
Jeff Probst CREDIT: PATRICK RIDEAUX / PICTUREPERFECT
Forget Jeff Probst's escaping to some exotic isle – he already does that for a living.
And the host of Survivor for the past 5 1/2 years intends to keep doing it, according to an announcement on Thursday. Probst has signed a new multiyear deal to remain with the CBS reality series, the Associated Press reports.
"I was thinking about retiring and spending my time traveling to exotic locations around the world, meeting new and interesting people. Then I realized, uh, wait a second, I'm already doing that with Survivor and getting paid for it, as well," Probst, 44, said in a statement.
With his contract due to expire with the current 11th season finale (to air this Sunday), Probst let it be known in October that he was weighing whether to continue with the gig – which, besides fame and fortune, has also yielded him a partner, former contestant Julie Berry.
In a statement expressing his delight with Probst's decision to stay (financial terms have not been disclosed) Survivor producer Mark Burnett said: "I consider him a friend and look forward to continuing to keep Survivor fresh with Jeff for many more seasons."
CBS has already announced that it will air the 13th and 14th versions of Survivor during the 2006-07 season. That 12th edition, being filmed at an undisclosed location, is to be broadcast next spring.
Car Curse In Cruise Control NEW YORK, Dec. 9, 2005
CBS) The curse continues.
Cindy Hall won a brand spanking new 2006 Pontiac Torrent – but she lost a shot at $1 million.
Choosing a sure automobile over potential riches, Cindy became the latest "Survivor" competitor to fall victim to the curse of the car: no one in the history of the show has won the vehicle and gone on to win the big money.
On The Early Show Friday morning, Cindy told co-anchor Rene Syler that things are not what they seem on "Survivor": "Rafe is running the show," said Cindy. "You have to give him credit. He's playing very smart by making Stephenie look like she's running the show."
Because Cindy is a zookeeper, Syler thought it would be fun to play a word game with her, assigning an animal to each "Survivor" player.
Rafe: "He would probably be some sort of primate."
Stephenie: "A cat."
Lydia: "Lydia would be, like, a puppy."
Danni: "Oh, Danni would be something tall and lean and athletic."
When Syler suggested a giraffe, Cindy said, "That's a good one!"
As for Thursday night's installment of "Survivor," while the perennial bad luck continued automobile-wise, some things had changed human-wise.
After Judd's departure, the group dynamic was a shadow of its former self. Paranoia still percolated but the Final Five seemed more at ease.
"It’s the gay guy and the four women," said Rafe, making goofy faces to his female friends.
And there was much laughing.
But Rafe would not laugh for long. After winning a Mayan puzzle challenge, Cindy was presented with the keys to her shiny new car.
She was also presented with a proposition: keep the car and risk the "curse" or give up the wheels and let the other four competitors drive out of the jungle with their own Pontiac Torrents.
Surely the agreeable Cindy would give up her car for a virtual guarantee that she'd make the Final Four.
No.
"I'm here to beat the odds," she said, snatching the keys and driving off with Stephenie to enjoy a barbeque at an architectural camp site, where the pair feasted like savages and giggled like school girls.
But amid the giddy gluttony, there was strategizing. Danni was the biggest threat remaining. She would have to be the next to go, they decided.
And then they drank more rum and gazed at the car.
But people were not so complacent chez 'Camp Survivor.' Rafe was miffed by Cindy's act of selfishness. How could she take the car when she had an opportunity to give away four cars?
"Am I playing this game too nicely?" the philosophical Mormon wondered.
Apparently not. After Steph won a crucial immunity challenge guaranteeing her a spot in the Final Four, Rafe turned against Cindy. He secured votes from Danni and Lydia and then managed to sway Stephenie despite her concerns about jeopardizing votes by the jury.
One for Rafe, three votes for Cindy.
And just like that, the zookeeper from Naples, Fla. was gone.
But there didn't seem to be any hard feelings.
"I'll think about you guys when I see the stars through the sunroof of my car," Cindy told her tribe mates as her torch was extinguished.
CBS announces 'Survivor 12' to return to Panama, feature 'Exile Island'
By Steve Rogers, 12/12/2005
Confirming weeks of rumors, CBS has announced that next season's just-filmed twelfth installment of its Survivor franchise will take place in Panama and be titled Survivor: Panama, Exile Island.
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The network made the announcement at the conclusion of last night's Survivor: Guatemala finale, with Survivor host Jeff Probst presenting a Survivor: Panama preview that stated that Panama will, for the first time in five seasons, drop the competition's cast size back to Survivor's original sixteen castaway format, and, for the first time in a Survivor series, feature a new twist in which each episode will require "at least one castaway" to be banished to a "tiny island of exile" for "days at a time."
While Survivor: Panama will be the first Survivor edition to use "Panama" in its main title, it will actually be the third American Survivor edition to film in the location (Britain's second Survivor season was actually the first Survivor format to use the area's islands for filming.) Although it was titled Survivor: Pearl Islands, CBS' seventh Survivor edition, broadcast in Fall 2003, was filmed on the same islands, as was the subsequent spring's Survivor: All-Stars eighth edition of the long-running reality series.
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Survivor producer Mark Burnett had lauded the area as "best spot we have visited" during the show's 2003 productions and although unconfirmed, Burnett reportedly loved the area's crystal clear waters and scenery so much that he actually purchased one of the chain's islands.
According to last night's Survivor: Panama preview, the new castaways "will be divided into tribes in a way never before seen," "strategy will be turned on its head," and "survival will take on a whole new meaning."
Based on the description of the "desolate place" to which the castaways will be "banished," it sounds like Survivor: Panama will take the one-time Immunity Challenge penalty that Janu Tornell suffered during last spring's Survivor: Palau and somehow incorporate it into Survivor: Panama's regular challenge cycle. As the first person to quit Palau's Day 26 Immunity Challenge, Janu had been forced to spend a lonely night isolated on her own private island.
While Probst teased that the island will be "be a place to be feared," the island will apparently also feature a second twist of its own. "Something hidden within its rocky shores may be the key to $1,000,000 and the title of 'Sole Survivor,' said Probst -- a statement that would seem to imply that the island may also contain some type of hidden Immunity Idol twist similar to the one featured in Guatemala's just-concluded season.
Survivor: Panama is believed to have begun filming on or about October 31 and wrapped production late last week. While CBS has yet to announce a premiere date for Survivor: Panama, the series is expected to debut in early 2006, although presumably not until after NBC's seventeen-day 2006 Winter Olympics coverage ends on Sunday, February 26 -- a decision that would delay the show's premiere until Thursday, March 2. In 2002 -- the last time the Winter Olympics were held -- CBS delayed the debut of Survivor: Marquesas until after the Salt Lake City Games concluded. Survivor: Marquesas premiered on Thursday, February 28, 2002 -- a date that still ranks as the latest premiere date for a midseason Survivor edition.
A March 2 premiere date would also provide an explanation for the fact that Survivor: Panama will be the first Survivor edition since Pearl Islands to feature fewer than eighteen castaways. Should the show premiere on March 2, an untruncated thirteen-week broadcast schedule would allow CBS to schedule Panama's finale event for Sunday, May 21 -- three days before the May 2006 ratings sweeps period ends on Wednesday, May 24. As one of CBS' traditional May sweeps highlights, it's highly unlikely that the network would allow Survivor's spring season finale to air after the conclusion of the ratings sweeps period.
Date Of Birth: July 13, 1975
Hometown: Tonganoxie, KS
Occupation: Sports radio talk show host/model/actress
Marital Status: Married
More Information: View news stories
Biography
Danni Boatwright is a 30-year-old sports radio talk show host/model/actress and former Miss Kansas USA from Tonganoxie, Kansas. Danni was previously married to country music singer Wade Hayes.
11-07-2005 04:45 AM
