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Nickname:	The One Take Wonder
Known for:	Survivor, Survivor: The Reunion, Survivor - Season One: The Greatest and Most Outrageous Moments
Birthday:	4 November 1962, Wichita, Kansas, USA
Height:	5' 9" (1.75 m)

The winner of "Survivor: Samoa" was named Sunday night. After a season that saw two contestants go home for medical reasons and in which the competitors survived extremely difficult conditions, 26-year-old former pharmaceutical saleswoman Natalie White was named the sole survivor and the million dollar winner. The season finale found the final four members of the Foa Foa tribe attempting to block the final surviving Galu tribe member, Brett Clouser, from winning immunity and making it to the final. When he won immunity in the first immunity challenge, the Foa Foas had to send one of their own home, and citing a recent lack of game spirit, they voted off Jaison Robinson. In the final immunity challenge, a nailbiter that involved balancing a figurine on an increasingly lengthy pole, it came down to Russell Hantz and Brett, but in the end, Russell was victorious, and it was the final three members of the Foa Foa Four who went to the final -- Russell, Mick Trimming and Natalie. Russell, who made a name for his aggressive game playing which included finding three hidden immunity idols as well as dumping out his competitors' canteens and burning their socks, thought he had the game in the bag, saying after he won the final immunity: "In my opinion, I just won the game." During the final tribal council, the jury grilled each candidate, who, in turn, explained why he or she should win. Mick claimed he should win because he didn't overtly stomp on people or treat them like pawns. Natalie said she entered the game because she wanted to gain confidence to go outside her comfort zone. Russell said he should win because he made huge strategic moves throughout the game. Some members of the jury called Mick "feckless," said that Natalie merely rode Russell's coattails, and told Russell that he played an unethical game. However, when the votes were counted, Natalie was crowned the survivor. Upon winning, she explained the reason she quit her job to come on the show, "It was about having no regrets, and you have to take a big risk to get a big return." Russell did not take defeat lightly, saying, "I feel like I played the best strategic game in history. And I'm not the only one that thinks that. I can guarantee you millions of people probably think the same thing." He said of winner Natalie, "Her best move was to jump on my back." But all was not lost for Russell, as he was chosen by the viewers to be Sprint's Player of the Game and was awarded his own prize of $100,000. At the end of the finale, Emmy winning host Jeff Probst announced that the next season of "Survivor" will be called "Heroes Vs. Villains," and will pit 10 villainous former contestants against 10 heroic competitors from past seasons. That season will premiere on CBS on February 11, 2010.

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"Survivor: Samoa" has had more interesting Tribal Councils than any other season, and while this Thursday night's wasn't quite as thrill packed as last week when there was a tie vote, it still managed to include an element of surprise when John Fincher was ousted. ET talks to the former member of Galu to get his insights into this season's game. ET: How surprised were you when Jeff Probst starting reading the votes and your name came up? John Fincher: There is certainly an understandable level of surprise. Brett, Monica and Dave were telling me they were voting for Mick. That would mean that if Shambo voted with Foa Foa, Dave would have gone home. But I hadn't seen Dave running around going too crazy, which he would be doing because he is a pretty paranoid, edgy guy. So that means I am going to the first Tribal Council where I don't know what is going on, so I don't like that. It either means I am going home, or they are going to execute a hit on someone they think I would try to defend. I was hoping for the latter, not the former, In this case, it was the former and I went home. ET: Did you actually think you could trust Russell Hantz? John Fincher: There is certainly no trust at all with Russell. It is two people sitting there lying to each others' faces. People see the conversation when he and I were having a chat on the rocks and say, "You fell for it; you believed it and then he betrayed you." No, I didn't, but I have to sit there and say, "Hey, Russell, it is me and you until the end. I am not coming for you; you are not coming for me. I am not a threat. We are going to navigate through this game together." In the front of your mind, you are going, "I have got to get this guy, but the timing isn't right yet. But I am going to have to eliminate him." When you see the conversations, there is also internal dialogue going on simultaneously in which we are both targeting the other. ET: It seems from watching that Galu was in a position of strength at the merge, and blew it when they voted off Erik. How do you see that now? John Fincher: I think people sometimes confuse a numerical advantage with an advantage in the game. Foa Foa had a strategic advantage on us, and they had a tighter alliance than us, so they were stronger. People like to pinpoint the Erik hit as busting things wide open. Really, there were deeper seeded issues that contributed to Erik's departure. On the surface, it may seem that voting Erik off was the harbinger for all the bad that was going to come, when really it was the dynamic that contributed to Erik's departure that was to blame. I think the girls thought that we thought that they were a threat. I wanted to paint a picture to protect myself after the merge, so I wouldn't get blindsided immediately. I wanted people to think that Laura and Monica were a huge threat, when, honestly, I didn't think they were. Also, the guys' alliance wasn't very tight. You heard Laura say it last week: Brett was really on her side. So, you have a girl dressed as a guy. (Laughs). Nothing against Brett. I like him; he is a nice guy, but he was really on the girls' team. But it was much more complex than it may seem. It was not a tight group of eight people going up against four people, but you don't have the privilege of seeing that, because you have been watching Foa Foa lose every week, so you have much more insight into the intra-tribe dynamics of Foa Foa than you do Galu. ET: So maybe losing made them forge a tighter bond? John Fincher: Certainly. It accomplishes multiple things. First, you have more practice going to Tribal council. It is a skill to have. When after the merge, people wanted to vote off Jaison because he was lazy and doesn't do enough work in camp, they don't know what stage of the game they are in because they haven't been to Tribal Council. They are still voting based on criteria that should be used on day three as opposed to day 19. It is hard to say that losing helps you, but we were outgunned strategically and intellectually. ET: Having seen the show now, would you change your vote? John Fincher: I would not change my vote. I think there are a lot of people who would change their vote. Out of respect for the game and everyone's effort, I really tried hard to make a decision on who would receive my vote. I think a lot of other people didn't do that. I think a lot of other people were disgruntled. Some people were so fed up that they don't even want to talk about the game. I can talk about the game forever. It is entertaining and fun. A lot of people don't have experience making decisions. A lot of people voted for the person they like the most. To answer your question, I would not change who I voted for. I made the correct decision. ET: Would you do "Survivor" again? John Fincher: I would do it in a heartbeat. In my exit interview, I was, "If you put me in another season right now, I would do it." "Survivor: Samoa" airs Thursday nights at 8 p.m. on CBS.

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The Galu Tribe lost its first Immunity Challenge on Thursday night's "Survivor: Samoa," and there was major dissension as to whether the castaways should oust Monica Padilla or Yasmin Giles. Tribe leader Russell Swan wanted to eliminate Monica, because she was weak in that night's challenge, but he was outvoted when Galu sent home the outspoken Yasmin, who they felt wasn't helping out enough around camp. ET: Your strategy was to stay under the radar and do well in challenges. If you had to do it again, would you change that and possibly do more in camp? Yasmin Giles: Absolutely. I have played that back in my mind a million times. I am, "Okay, if I had been a little quieter, or if I had done more around camp and still been strong in the challenges..." I have come to find out with a game like "Survivor," you are damned if you do, or damned if you don't. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't, but if I had no choice, there are a lot of things I would have changed so I would have stuck around longer. But, I would be lying to you if I didn't say, "When you saw Jeff [Probst] put the torch out, did you see me smile?" ET: It seemed to me, you really did not enjoy the jungle? Did you discover that you are a city girl? Yasmin Giles: It was the happiest day in my life when I left. I know people want to hear, "Oh my, God, I gave up that chance." Blah, blah, blah, whatever. The heels set it off first of all. I said, "I am going to take my heels and have a little fun." I was, "What? The jungle!" ET: Hadn't you watched the show? Why did you audition in the first place? Yasmin Giles: I don't know if too many people know this, but I was recruited. Then it became a challenge, "I can get on that show." Then I am, "Let me start watching some episodes," because I had seen it from time to time. When you watch TV, you think it is TV. "Survivor" is really surviving. I think that is where I was totally not prepared. ET: What is it like to watch it back on TV? Yasmin Giles: The worst time in my life! No, when I watch it back, I am thinking, "Wow!" If I could have taken advantage of all the research I should have done, outside of watching it on TV, or knowing how to camp... I cracked a little joke: "The hood is not the woods." If you pay attention to Jeff's first , "I think this girl is used to a softer life," I couldn't be used to that much of a softer life coming from the hood. It was just a cute little saying for TV and people blew it up. It is crazy, but I am kind of sheltered. I have never even had a drink. I don't know what alcohol tastes like. Not even on a special occasion. My mom kept me from a lot of things, and camping was one them. ET: Even if you like to camp, this is extreme camping. Yasmin Giles: Thank you for saying that. That makes me feel a little bit better. Again, this is not the first time I have done any reality TV. I got caught up in wanting to hear them say, "Cut," and we go to crafts services. ET: Shambo seemed to be a misfit from what we are seeing on TV. What was it really like in your camp? Yasmin Giles: It is funny you would ask about her because if you pay attention to the parallels, me and her were so much alike. As a matter of fact, she was my only ally. She was a misfit, but I understood her, and she understood me. She was outspoken and so was I. When you saw a lot of the girls together, you never saw either me or Shambo. But what I can tell you about my tribe, since I am the first to leave, is my tribe is not consistent. They were all over the place. I can't stress that enough. Go back through the episodes: It was, "I want to vote John [Fincher] off because he didn't swim the correct way and his pants were too tight and we lost the challenge." Then it was, "Shambo lost the fishing gear, so she could go home." Then it was, "Dave is weird. He is irking people. He should go home." See what I am saying, all the back and forth? ET: What was the hardest part for you? Yasmin Giles: The hardest part for me outside of the food was the people and the negative energy. Nobody understands, because again, creative editing. If you notice in my words to Shambo, I said, "I don't want the negativity." I was getting that from every which end. I am a grown woman. I am not used to adults shooting looks behind each other's backs. If I have a problem with you, like I had with Ben [Browning], I am going to pull you to the side. I think maybe I got my games mixed up. I should have gone on "Amazing Race." ET: Who do you see as possibly going all the way from your tribe? Yasmin Giles: Possibly Shambo. I can see Shambo teaming up with Foa Foa. That is a good fit for her. "Survivor: Samoa" airs Thursday nights at 8 p.m. on CBS.

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American TV star JEFF PROBST bowed down to new Emmy host NEIL PATRICK HARRIS at the 61st annual ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday (20Sep09), admitting he botched his presenting duties last year (08).Survivor star Probst and fellow reality TV personalities American Idol’s Ryan Seacrest, Project Runway’s Heidi Klum, Dancing with the Stars’ Tom Bergeron
AP - "Survivor" star Jeff Probst takes home his second Emmy as best reality show host.
"Survivor: Tocantins" was down to five as Thursday night's episode opened, and players who found themselves on shaky ground began to try desperately to find their footing in the game. Coach was in low spirits as they headed back to camp following Debbie's elimination. He was shocked to learn that she had turned on him, and was grateful to the remaining players for saving him. "I'm like the lamb led to the slaughterhouse here," Coach said of Debbie's betrayal. Coach, who frequently spoke of honor throughout the game, next tried to convince Stephen and JT to send one of the two remaining women to Exile instead of him. After their conversation, Stephen told the camera, "I'm not entirely sure Coach can build a fire and cook his food by himself, I think he's just scared." When it came time for the reward challenge, the competitors had to walk through a maze with their feet shackled together and then hit three targets. JT handily won an overnight trip to the Governor's retreat, and chose to bring Stephen with him. Despite Coach's pleas to send one of the women to Exile, it was he who was sent to Exile, with JT bidding him farewell by saying, "Let's be noble, Coach." Coach said upon hearing the news: "I'm gonna take the monastic approach -- not gonna build a fire, not gonna eat." Erinn replied to Coach's statement by saying that he was only playing the martyr so that he would have an excuse if he didn't win the immunity challenge. Stephen and JT were then picked up by a private plane to head to their reward, and, upon arrival at the governor's abode, they enjoyed hot showers and a meal of traditional Brazilian churrasco, or barbeque. "We were having a meat festival," Stephen said of the myriad amounts of delicacies that came off the grill. "By the time we were done with the meats, we were stuffed." Meanwhile, on Exile, Coach was purportedly having the time of his life meditating and fasting. "I will not have anything to eat. It's going to be like the ancient American Indians who are my ancestors… they would commune with the universe and they would become men," he told the camera. Reflecting on being on Exile, Coach told the camera, "My Exile experience was -- no sleeping, starving, no food, very little water, and it was frickin' awesome!" Before heading to the immunity challenge, he said that, despite the challenges of Exile, "I feel nothing but incredible mental focus on the task at hand. I plan to win immunity today." Next up, it was time for the immunity challenge. The players had to stand on progressively smaller pieces of wood, and it was Coach and JT who battled it out for the win. After vigorously yelling and screaming, Coach finally gave up, and crumpled to the ground in a heap, claiming that his back was spasming. However, when Jeff Probst offered him medical attention, he turned it down, saying, "If medical would really look at my back, I wouldn't be here, so, no, please don't have them look at my back," leaving the question of whether he was truly injured up for dispute. Taj told the camera privately of his display at the immunity challenge: "When Coach returned from Exile with his cane, and his limping I'm thinking, 'This guy is such a drama queen!' Any 37-year-old man who thinks he a dragon slayer belongs in a mental institution." Back at camp, JT told Stephen and Coach that, due to Erinn's outburst at Coach, he was going to vote for her to go home, leaving Erinn's future in their alliance, and the game, in question. But at tribal council, after reading a poem he had written for the group, it was the colorful and always entertaining Coach Wade who was voted off. Figuring out that Stephen, whom he'd nicknamed "The Wizard," had voted for him, Coach told the camera, "The Wizard was definitely not the White Wizard -- he was the Evil Wizard."

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Thursday night's "Survivor: Tocantins" was jam-packed with extreme highs and extreme lows, on an episode where the next castoff appeared to be a foregone conclusion. With her only ally, Brendan, blindsided last week, Sierra found herself having to beg for her tribemates' mercy. At the beginning of the episode, she told them: "Obviously I know I'm the next one to go so let's just try to make these next couple of days congenial, I guess." "I like to see Sierra scramble and mope," Tyson told the camera. "I've never liked Sierra," he said. "To me she has zero worth. I mean, I guess her parents probably love her." For his part, Coach spent some time basking in the glory of orchestrating Brendan's ouster. Continuing to dub himself "the dragon slayer," Coach told the camera, "The dragon slayer has vanquished the dragon once and for all," pausing the yell for dramatic effect before continuing, "Over! The battle has already been won!" For the first reward challenge, the survivors had to line up giant puzzle pieces in order to win letter tiles, and then assemble a phrase. Tyson, J.T., Debbie and Erinn won, and the foursome were treated to a Brazilian meal and a Capoheira dance and martial arts exhibition. Stephen was sent to Exile, and hoped that he might find another Idol there. When his hopes were dashed, he told the camera: "I'm lucky I'm not on that reward. Who wants a feast when they can have … sand. Thank God I have no food and bleak surroundings for a few days." Back at camp, Sierra continued begging to stay. When she got nowhere with begging, she began to cry by the campfire, telling her tribemates mournfully, "I feel like I'm getting kicked in the face," but no one budges on their resolve to vote her out. Next up, it was time for the immunity challenge. In the cold and rain, the tribemates were faced with a shuffleboard-like game, and were given a choice – they could play for immunity, or stuff their faces with pizza for as long as the game lasted. Feeling confident, Coach, J.T. and Stephen decided to eat and not bother to try for immunity. In a nail-biting end to the challenge, Sierra barely edged out Tyson, but was finally overcome by Debbie, who won immunity. Back at camp, Debbie was excited for her win, which annoyed Tyson, who said to Sierra, "There's nothing awesomer than seeing someone celebrate before the game is over." But next, Tyson was showed telling the camera, "Tonight's tribal council is going to be awesome. I'm hoping that Sierra will cry a lot." While Tyson was looking forward to Sierra's tears, a devious plan was afoot by Taj, Erinn and Stephen, who were considering blindsiding Tyson. Stephen and J.T. had a private discussion to decide whether they would vote for Sierra, or Tyson. "I think it's going to be Tyson. It might be our only chance," Stephen told J.T. "Then we'll be stuck with Sierra," J.T. responded, going on to say, "Sierra is a lying b*tch and I hate her." Later, J.T. talked privately with Coach about Coach's so-called "warrior alliance," which included J.T. and Tyson. Coach told J.T., "I know I can trust you and that's so important to me, man." "You have my word," J.T. responded, looking Coach in the eye. When it came time for Tribal Council, Coach told host Jeff Probst: "I trust and I believe one hundred percent when he tells me something," of J.T.'s loyalty. Tyson told Probst that he felt "pretty comfortable" that he wouldn't be voted out, and seemed positively gleeful as the votes were about to be read. But, in the end, a second shocking blindside was in the cards, and, in a 5-3 vote that was sure to anger Coach, Tyson was sent home. Sierra seemed shocked and got tearful as Tyson exited the game. Tyson bid adieu with words for the camera: "[Those] sneaky bastards! Now I now how Brendan feels," but added of Sierra, "It's a little weird being outfoxed by an idiot." Tune in to next week's "Survivor" on CBS to see what this season's masterminds will have up their sleeve next.

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Jeff Probst sits down with our own Lara Spencer to dish about pranking the public in a hilarious new TV special. And the TV host reveals what's to come on this season of "Survivor," and details behind his appearance on STARZ's "Head Case." On Wednedsay, Jeff joins a list of celebrities who prank the public in a new CBS special dubbed "I Get That A Lot." In the show, celebrities work everyday jobs to see if customers recognize them -- and their funny reactions are caught on tape. Jeff tells Lara about pretending to be a not-so-talented grocery store clerk in the special, in which Heidi Klum, Jessica Simpson and LeAnn Rimes are also featured doing various jobs and denying their identities initially. Watch the video to hear about the funny special, what's to come on "Survivor: Tocantins" and Jeff's appearance alongside Alexandra Wentworth in "Head Case." "I Get That A Lot" airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. on CBS and "Survivor: Tocantins" airs Thursday nights at 8 p.m. on CBS.

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"Survivor" host Jeff Probst is on our set and blogging just for "The Insider" online! Jeff answers questions about the show and his new TV foolery "I Get That A Lot," in which celebs prank the public by pretending to be non-famous look-alikes. What's Jeff got in store for the spoof? Watch the video to find out!

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E! Online - Looks like Jeff Probst has learned a thing or two about survival during his nine years snuffing out tiki torches.
AP - Gordon Ramsay is in a California state of mind. The fiery Scottish chef and star of Fox's "Hell's Kitchen" and "Kitchen Nightmares" was all smiles at the opening of his latest restaurant, Gordon Ramsay at The London West Hollywood, on Wednesday evening. The event was attended by celebrity guests such as "Will and & Grace" co-star Eric McCormack, "Survivor" host Jeff Probst, Kim Kardashian and David Beckman.
AP - Jeff Probst says the upcoming season of "Survivor" has already hit a few snags. "Survivor: Gabon — Earth's Last Eden" has been plagued with several preproduction problems, Probst told The Associated Press at a restaurant opening Wednesday.
NEW YORK (AP) - After all this time, you don't associate Jeff Probst with traffic gridlock, yowling sirens, or office towers crowding the sky. It's not that Probst seems out of place in a metropolis like New York.


AP - Bobby Thomson, Kirk Gibson or Derek Jeter — which one survives Jeff Probst's online tribal council? In a parody of his role as host of "Survivor," Probst has created a spot for actober.com, which is produced by Major League Baseball.
FOX's Emmy Award-winning late-night comedy series MADtv kicks off its 13th season with three special episodes to be hosted by Jerry Springer, Jeff Probst and Perez Hilton, respectively, on Saturdays, Sept. 15, Sept. 22 and Sept. 29 (11:00 PM-Midnight ET/PT) on FOX.

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