In the Australian Survivor Contest,-- which arrived on our screens
January 28, 2001 -- 16 contestants will attempt to survive in
the outback of Australia. The location will create a much harsher
physical climate than the previous contest and now that everyone
knows how to play the game, the mental competition will be severe.
The contest is already finished but fans won't
know the results until we watch the show. Now that we know that
the show was filmed in October and November in the Herbert Falls
area of North Eastern Australia, we have an idea of the weather.
It was hot and humid with thunderstorms. The clear days were
around 86 degress F or 27 to 30 C, topping 115 degrees at one
point. The nights got down to 56 degrees, cold enough for coats.
The rain would have come down hard but warm. It's
like walking in a shower. With the thinning of Australia's ozone,
bikinis and nakedness should not be on the agenda, but of course
they are. I would have taken an Aussie hat and 40 sunblock as
my luxury items. Heat stroke is a real possibility.
My uncle used to run a sheep farm in Australia
and we have recently returned from a visit to the area of Survivor
2. Not only did the survivors need to protect themselves from
the heat, they needed to protect themselves from the animals.
The world's top seven most poisonous snakes live in the area.
Care must be taken gathering wood, redback spiders lurk in any
windfall. My cousin ended up rushed to hospital with a badly
swollen hand that was rapidly leading to shock and death.
Kangaroos and emus can deliver deadly kicks,
wild pigs can rush the unwary. The crocodiles grow up to 25
feet long. A human is just a light snack. We visited Hartley's
Creek crocodile farm and learned that paddling your feet along
the shore of an Australian lake can lead to a sudden death snap.
Not to be missed, the feeding of the crocs. I jumped at least
a foot, the lunging beast not more than two feet and a small
fence in front of me.
The vegetation can also be dangerous, some trees
and plants are not only poisonous to eat but poisonous to the
touch.
How will the survivors feed themselves? My uncle
used to shoot kangaroos and hunt wild boar with a knife. He's
covered with scars and would get along just fine with Rudy.
They call him the Pommie Jackaroo. We call him Uncle Dundee.
Aussies love kangaroo burgers, there are so many in the outback
that they hardly understand our distress at the death of one
or two. Emus are raised on farms, their meat a low cholesterol
treat. Before he retired, my uncle used to lead hunting parties
who killed the pigs, feral cats, rabbits and fox, all introduced
animals that destroy the local wildlife. Will the survivors
have to use spears to catch a kangaroo or emu – they move
fast, guns are the best bet -- or will they eat the two foot
vegetarian lizards that live everywhere? Witchity grubs make
a nice light snack on the barbie and there is a rumor that the
contestants had some as well as other more horrible insects
as a challenge. My daughter has caught some good sized fish,
though I would stand well away from the bank.
Eucalyptus trees dominate the forests, even in
the tropical north. They aren't edible, but their oil can keep
away the bugs, which can be so plentiful the old swagmen used
to put corks swinging from strings round their hats to keep
the gnats away. Trying to start a fire with ironwood can be
a difficulty as the contestants found out.
Not only the environment but the rigours of the
game will mean that the contestants needed mental as well as
physical toughness. To win this time, each team, from the very
beginning, had to win as many immunity challenges as they could.
Then they had to stick together to vote the smaller team off,
even after the teams joined together. When first voting off
their teammates, the weakest went first, then when only one
team was left, off went the strongest and most cunning, if they
were smart. No Richard hanging around conniving in this group!
Though with them all plotting, who will be the most dangerous
Richard of them all? We can only wait until the end of the series.
Survivor II is coming to our screens on Sunday,
January 28, 2001 at 10:00 p.m. or after the Superbowl. The next
shows are on Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. on CBS.
