Steve Gibson
SurvivorWeb

Rumors have been circulating around for months about the future of the Survivor Empire. Most of the time they are only rumors about rumors, very seldom have we heard any hard facts. Confused? So are many Survivor fans when it comes to the next few seasons of the show.

Executive Producer of Survivor, Mark Burnett is keeping a tight lid on his latest plans for “Survivor: All-Stars” and other shows that follow.

Entering its seventh season, Survivor Entertainment Productions recently sent their crew to Panama’s Pearl Islands where they will film 16 new strangers as they compete for a million dollar prize. Although details cannot be confirmed, sources indicate filming started last Monday (June 23, 2003) and will continue for 39 days, when one person is crowned Ultimate Survivor. The show is expected to make its premiere sometime in September.

But big questions still remain about future shows, cast members and locations. Almost immediately following the finale of Survivor: The Amazon, Mark Burnett announced plans for a Survivor Tournament of Champions, featuring past champions and other fan favorites. As he announce the All-Star season of Survivor, he summoned Richard Hatch, Rudy Boesch, Susan Hawk, Tina Wesson and Ethan Zohn from the crowd to join him on stage. Other subsequent reports have Australian Outback hunk, Colby Donaldson joining the crew. Rumors have also indicated that some members invited to the All-Star edition have declined the offer.

A recent change on the CBS website, where Survivor 8 applications were, now reads:

“Casting for Survivor: Pearl Islands is complete, and a very special version of Survivor is being planned for the following cycle. For this reason, contestant applications are no longer being accepted at this time. If you already applied as part of the most recent casting call, your application will be considered when casting for a future Survivor commences."

In an unofficial poll, SurvivorWeb.com asked its members who they would like to see on the upcoming All-Star edition. With a statistically significant number of votes cast, the results clearly favored a handful of past Survivors – few of which were the million dollar champions themselves.

Allowing multiple votes per season, the results showed Elisabeth Falarski the clear favorite among poll takers, attracting 37% of the votes for women on Survivor: Australian Outback. From the same season, Colby Donaldson grabbed 36% from the men’s category. Other favorites were: Rudy (30%), Colleen (31%), Ethan (26%), Kathy (27%), Gina (25%), Hunter (26%), Rob C. (32%) and Christy (28%).

Polls will continue to be taken at SurvivorWeb until the official All-Star cast is revealed.