Lessons and humor abound as first 'Survivor' comes to port

All summer long we've watched, discussed and guessed what will happen next on "Survivor," the brilliantly conceived game show that proves the only thing worse than eating a rat is being double-crossed by one. It started on an exotic island, with 16 contestants divided into two tribes. It will end with four contestants divided into at least eight personalities. One contestant brought his Bible, but Sun-tzu and Machiavelli would've been more helpful guides to winning. We watched with horrified delight as Richard, Rudy and Susan formed their unholy cabal. Cringed at the antics of Sean, Greg and Gervase. Shed a tear for Sonja, Stacey, Ramona and Gretchen, who never saw what hit them. Tonight, it will all come to an end. The four remaining "Survivor" castaways will be reduced to one in a special two-hour finale airing 7 p.m. on CBS (Channel 5). At 9 p.m., the 16 contestants - including our own B.B. Andersen of Mission Hills - will gather for a live, one-hour wrap-up show. As many as 35 million viewers could tune in. "Survivor" has passed up "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" as the highest-rated TV show of the 1999-2000 season. So needless to say, it will be back, or rather outback. "Survivor: The Australian Outback" arrives early next year. Just 6,100 people applied to be castaways on the first "Survivor"; for "Survivor II," CBS reports getting more than 49,000 applications. What has inspired this kind of frenzy for a TV show? Well, for starters, look around the dial. Like "Millionaire" last summer, "Survivor" did not have to compete for viewers' attention with dozens of other new network programs. And with CBS promoting the show tirelessly, not only on its own airwaves but on sister cable channels MTV and VH1, "Survivor" immediately stood out amid the clutter of summer reruns. From there, it was up to the show's creator and executive producer, Mark Burnett, to draw up a good game. That he did. Well-paced, tightly edited and full of unexpected twists, "Survivor" was a masterpiece of must-see TV. Burnett had a response for every situation. If contestants got too chummy, a message would appear at the islanders' "mailbox," inviting them into a contest that would soon have them sniping at each other. If tensions were running too high, as happened during last week's episode, host Jeff Probst would appear and lead the castaways in some fun 'n' games. "Survivor" hasn't even been that suspenseful lately. With Richard Hatch's three-person alliance firmly in control of the tribal council voting, three of the final four contestants were virtually assured their places a month ago. Yet Burnett found a way to keep viewers addicted. Time and again, he used interviews with Hatch and his co-conspirators to suggest the alliance was about to come apart. (It never did.) And since the alliance couldn't vote off someone who had immunity, the outcome of some episodes was never clear. Burnett even found time to have a little fun with the media. He crafted a clever little Internet ruse that had dozens of critics (including me) convinced that the name of the winning castaway - 29-year-old Gervase Petersen - had been accidentally revealed through a computer glitch. In devising the twice-weekly "Survivor" challenges, Burnett proved himself especially resourceful. Admittedly not all had the built-in drama of the larvae-eating contest (thank heavens). Some were downright dull. What are the odds we'll see another archery competition on "Survivor II"? Yet other challenges were unexpectedly entertaining, like last week's race to see who could press the most volcanic mud off their bodies into a bucket. The whole idea of a reward challenge was ingenious. Who wouldn't want a steak dinner with all the trimmings after 30 days of eating rice? But was it worth leaving the camp for a few hours, while the other contestants plotted your demise? The next "Survivor" begins taping this fall, and you can expect the hype machine to get going even earlier (that is, if it ever shuts down). Which means Burnett will be under greater pressure to conjure up new adventures for his next 16 contestants. I wonder how wild dingo tastes. To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com And you think the winner will be Last Friday we asked in FYI who you thought would win "Survivor." The 715 votes have been counted and the results are: Richard, 421 (59 percent) Rudy, 225 (32 percent) Kelly, 45 (6 percent) Susan, 24 (3 percent) A 'Survivor' glossary Castaway: A "Survivor" contestant. Castoff: A "Survivor" ex-contestant. (See "Tribal council.") Immunity challenge: Win the game and you (or your team) are assured another week on the island. Pagong: "Tribe," or team, made up initially of B.B., Colleen, Gervase, Greg, Gretchen, Jenna, Joel and Ramona. Palau Tiga: The island off the coast of Borneo where "Survivor" was filmed. Probst: An uncomfortable examination that contestants undergo at tribal council from smarmy "Survivor" host Jeff Probst. Rattana: Not a type of furniture but the name of the combined Pagong and Tagi tribes after the field was cut to 10 contestants. Reward challenge: Winner gets something nice: a hot shower, non-native food, etc. Sometimes a winner is allowed to share the prize with someone (but he'd better choose carefully). Tagi: "Tribe" made up initially of Dirk, Kelly, Richard, Rudy, Sean, Sonja, Stacey and Susan. Tribal council: Weekly blackball session that ends with one castaway becoming a castoff. Ballots are kept secret on the island but must be shown to the cameras. Week: Three days on "Survivor" island. While the show aired for 13 weeks on CBS, the game itself took only 39 days to play. @ART CAPTION:The original 16 "Survivor" contestants. Tonight there will be just one. @ART CAPTION:'Survivor' host Jeff Probst @ART CREDIT:Photos courtesy CBS @ART:Photos (2) >>>