Survivor : The Ultimate Game

I have just completed Mark Burnett's book and I am very impressed with his sensitive and rational analysis of the events on Pulau Tiga culminating with Richard Hatch leaving the island as the ultimate winner. I didn't expect Burnett's book to be so cerebral: I expected a very long journalistic expose of "the hidden secrets of life on the island". Burnett wrote, however, a far more substantive story of the psychological factors that motivated the participants. I was impressed with these psychological threads that he teased out of life on the island; to the viewer these were seemingly random acts made by the island participants. It was as if the show that I viewed every week was simply the building that was visible above the ground but the complexity of the foundations that allowed the structure to stand were totally hidden until they were pointed out and examined by Burnett. Had I not read his book I would not have appreciated the extraordinary drama that took place-the drama of Pagong and their immaturity in regard to virtually all aspects of the establishment of a viable community and that failure led ultimately to their destruction. In hindsight the game's outcome was known before the first Challenge, if only I'd been as good an observer as Burnett. Without putting too much spit on the pitch, I think that the show transcended entertainment and took the reader into the realm of literary drama because of the insight it offered the viewer [with Burnett's book as a necessary guide] into the human complexities of such a situation.

Except for two things, really enjoyed this book. One thing was a few typos; those drive me to irritation. The second thing is that occasionally toward the end, the explanations and conversations between contestants were inexplicably shortened. The first half of the season, the interactions between contestants were almost too fully explained. Not consistent coverage. I did learn a couple of things about hidden mics and cameras. I learned that the first season allowed a surprising number of items contestants were allowed to bring and that they had to dig their own latrine. The book was worth reading.

First of all, don't bother purchasing this book until you have seen the series "Survivor: Borneo", because, basically, the book won't have the same meaning to those who have yet to see the series on which it is based (What are you waiting for? Go watch it!). For those who have seen "Borneo", this is an ideal way to relive the moments of Pulau Tiga seen from an entirely different perspective; that of the producer, Mark Burnett. Burnett describes the activities of island life as they occured on the island, making this a descriptive insight into the personalities and personas of each of the 16 castaways as pictured by Burnett. He covers the backround of each "character" by actually attempting to see things from that survivor's point of view. The description of many of the things not shown on TV is quite interesting (to say the least), with backround information provided on the technicalities of the shoot and island living (including not only the cast, but the crew as well). I was extremely disappointed by the rather abrupt end to book, and that the final tribal council, one of the most pivotal moments of the entire series, was so swiftly covered, without even remarking on Sue's "Rat & Snake" speech (Oh good God, you just gotta see it!) or the other jury members' votes. (Now I'm told that all this comes in Burnett's next book, the Survival Guide for the Autrailian Outback. What in God's name is the point of that?). The interview with the million-dollar winner (the sole suvivor) is interesting, but could hardly be called "in-depth". The most important thing about this book, though, is Burnett's analysis of each of the castaway's mentality and strategies, and, like me, those of you who have seen the show and have appreciated the castaways' outer values will be most intrigued by the psychology of their mentality Burnett discusses here. This book is an absolute must-have for any Survivor fans (and any Colleen Haskell fans like me!), but will still be better appreciated by those who are actually familiar with the entire "Borneo" thing.

I'm not a super fan but have always wondered about the set up of Survivor's logistics, production, and casting. This book has it all. Very pleased.

Fantastic book about the behind the scenes, psychological make-up of the Survivor cast. I could not put it down!! This book is not what you think. It does not give you the gossipy, behind the scenes trivia you might expect. It is, however, rich with Mark Burnett's perception of what the survivors were "really like". It reads more like a novel/biography.....and is very well written.

Perfect condition

My wife enjoyed this.

good book