# Pirate Master



## Mark CMG (Apr 21, 2007)

Pirate Master

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/pirate_master/


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## stevelabny (Apr 22, 2007)

sign me up.

the trailer looks really fun.


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## Mark CMG (Apr 22, 2007)

I does look like a hoot.  Like Survivor but while in character (as a Pirate!)


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## Relique du Madde (Apr 22, 2007)

Damn... i wish I could swim and I did not get sea sick.

The funny thing is, my old WoW Guild USED that same skull and crossbones on our original splash page (stock images ftw).


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## WayneLigon (Apr 22, 2007)

Fantasy Reality TV. Now we need a group of people in armor with swords and bows, killing orcs and trolls and dragons for cash.


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## LightPhoenix (Apr 22, 2007)

Man, I thought reality TV couldn't get any cheesier.


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## Mark CMG (Apr 22, 2007)

It's LARPing for prizes!


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## ssampier (Apr 22, 2007)

> Join 16 modern-day pirates as they embark on a high seas adventure around the Caribbean island of Dominica in search of hidden treasure that will total $1 million. Over the course of 33 days, the pirates will live aboard a massive 179-foot pirate ship.




It's at least _different_ reality TV. Different is good, right? Right?


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## Mark CMG (Jun 1, 2007)

The premiere episode has aired and can be seen on the CBS Innertube -

http://www.cbs.com/innertube/


Who is going to win?

Alexis 



Spoiler



*CUT ADRIFT EPISODE THREE*


Azmyth 



Spoiler



*CUT ADRIFT EPISODE NINE*


Ben 



Spoiler



*PIRATE MASTER*


Cheryl 



Spoiler



*CUT ADRIFT EPISODE FOUR*


Christa 



Spoiler



*FINAL TWO BUT LOST*


Christian 



Spoiler



*CUT ADRIFT EPISODE TWO*


Jay 



Spoiler



*FIRST CUT IN THE FINALE*


Joe Don 



Spoiler



*CUT ADRIFT EPISODE SEVEN*


John 



Spoiler



*CUT ADRIFT EPISODE ONE*


Joy 



Spoiler



*CUT ADRIFT EPISODE SIX*


Jupiter 



Spoiler



*CUT ADRIFT EPISODE EIGHT*


Kendra  



Spoiler



*CUT ADRIFT EPISODE ELEVEN*


Laurel 



Spoiler



*CUT ADRIFT EPISODE TWELVE*


Louie 



Spoiler



*CUT ADRIFT EPISODE THIRTEEN*


Nessa 



Spoiler



*CUT ADRIFT EPISODE TEN*


Sean 



Spoiler



*CUT ADRIFT EPISODE FIVE*





Spoiler



Arrrgh!



Who is going to be off next?


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## Whizbang Dustyboots (Jun 1, 2007)

It was good, dopey fun. In a summer when it's up against Big Brother 8, America's Got Talent and So You Think You Can Dance, that makes it the Rhodes Scholar of summer reality shows.


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## Mark CMG (Jun 1, 2007)

I'll keep the list updated and keep those set adrift in spoiler tags.  Let's try to keep other spoilers in this thread in tags too, so no one accidently reads anything they shouldn't.


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## hafrogman (Jun 1, 2007)

WayneLigon said:
			
		

> Fantasy Reality TV. Now we need a group of people in armor with swords and bows, killing orcs and trolls and dragons for cash.



X-crawl?


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## Kaodi (Jun 1, 2007)

I thought the show was pretty lackluster. They have beautiful sets, an awesome concept, yet they manage to have absolutely no style or drama.


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## Olgar Shiverstone (Jun 1, 2007)

Plank-walking would be better than "set adrift".  Or perhaps keel-hauling.

Pansy modern pirates.


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## Whizbang Dustyboots (Jun 2, 2007)

Olgar Shiverstone said:
			
		

> Plank-walking would be better than "set adrift".  Or perhaps keel-hauling.
> 
> Pansy modern pirates.



Plank-walking would be awesome. They'd just have to edit out the losing pirate resurfacing and show them vanishing beneath the black waves.


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## Mark CMG (Jun 2, 2007)

Or invest in some sharks and release forms.


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## Jamdin (Jun 2, 2007)

Olgar Shiverstone said:
			
		

> Plank-walking would be better than "set adrift".  Or perhaps keel-hauling.
> 
> Pansy modern pirates.




I agree and I was yelling "Keel-haul him" when they doing Pirate Court.


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## Wycen (Jun 2, 2007)

I missed the beginning so found the title "Scientist/exotic dancer" hilarious.  Besides him and the firefighter, I've no clue what anyone's background is, not that it really matters.  

I hope the prize is more than some share of the 40,000 gp


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## Mark CMG (Jun 2, 2007)

Wycen said:
			
		

> I missed the beginning so found the title "Scientist/exotic dancer" hilarious.  Besides him and the firefighter, I've no clue what anyone's background is, not that it really matters.




Some do. 

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/pirate_master/bios/christa.shtml

[imagel]http://www.enworld.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=29352&stc=[/imagel]
*Christa DeAngelo*
Age 29
Ex-Military

Christa was born in Tamaqua, PA, and grew up playing a lot of sports. While in high school, she scored over 1,000 points and is still on her school's All Time High Scorer's List. She then moved to New York to attend St. Francis College in Brooklyn and then Alvernia College in Reading, PA. DeAngelo later joined the army on a whim and worked as an administrative assistant. She was selected to play on the All-Army Basketball Team and traveled the country playing college, professional and other armed forces teams. While stationed in Hawaii, she had her daughter, Iris, and completed her military service. She then received her bachelor degree in social psychology from Park University, MO and did some graduate work at Seton Hall. She hopes to get a Ph. D. in cultural anthropology. After her divorce, DeAngelo lost 70 pounds by jumping rope for up to four hours a day. She won the title of Miss Hawaiian Tropic 2005. She enjoys working out, basketball and hiking, and describes herself as engaging, hilarious and self-centered. She has been a featured extra on "The Sopranos," "The Knights of Prosperity" and a new film titled "The Tourist." DeAngelo currently resides in a small farmhouse in Tamaqua, PA, with her five-year-old daughter, Iris. Her birth date is July 18, 1977.


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## Glyfair (Jun 3, 2007)

Mark CMG said:
			
		

> She has been a featured extra on "The Sopranos," "The Knights of Prosperity" and a new film titled "The Tourist."




More and more of these reality shows seem to be loading up on "entry level" actors and actresses as contestants, rather than the girl or boy next door types.  

I'm not sure when it started, but _Who Wants to Be a Superhero_ was mostly cast from these types.


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## Mistwell (Jun 3, 2007)

Glyfair said:
			
		

> More and more of these reality shows seem to be loading up on "entry level" actors and actresses as contestants, rather than the girl or boy next door types.




You are not really correct, at least in your implication.  Just because people who end up on a show have some performing of some type in their background does not mean that the people who made the decision to cast them on the show cared or even knew about that background.  
Sometimes, the skill of performing shines through without it being because there is something on a resume that indicates any kind of performing.  

And being on television naturally attracts the kinds of people who like performing to audition for it.  People who do not like performing, or feel they are not good at performing, generally do not want to audition for a show involving them being on television for long periods of time.


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## Glyfair (Jun 3, 2007)

Mistwell said:
			
		

> Sometimes, the skill of performing shines through without it being because there is something on a resume that indicates any kind of performing.




That's true.



> And being on television naturally attracts the kinds of people who like performing to audition for it.




True as well.

In fact, it's no secret that the music oriented shows have recruited people who have a professional music background at some level (Rockstar, American Idol).  On the other hand, most of the early reality shows tried to avoid the professionals (Survivor, Amazing Race).



> People who do not like performing, or feel they are not good at performing, generally do not want to audition for a show involving them being on television for long periods of time.




I think the number of people who try out for Survivor shows that there are plenty of people out there without a professional performance background looking to get on some shows.

Perhaps it's just that the second tier (and third tier) shows have trouble finding them or have trouble weeding out the professionals.  Or perhaps they just don't care.

I admit, one of my favorite "reality shows" was the _Joe Schmo Show_ (at least the first season), where all but one were professionals (by design).


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## Mark CMG (Jun 3, 2007)

Glyfair said:
			
		

> I think the number of people who try out for Survivor shows that there are plenty of people out there without a professional performance background looking to get on some shows.
> 
> Perhaps it's just that the second tier (and third tier) shows have trouble finding them or have trouble weeding out the professionals.  Or perhaps they just don't care.





I get the feeling they would just as soon take someone with some experience in front of the camera since it is one less factor with which they will have to contend as directors.


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## Mustrum_Ridcully (Jun 3, 2007)

I remember a article about (the German) Big Brother show, which indicated that the makers of the show would carefully select the participants based on some psychological analysis, hoping to get the most interesting group of people together. (I have no idea if they succeeded, as I don't watch Reality shows, and I don't know how fancy this analysis really is). So I doubt they would miss is if someone was an actor. But what I believe is that they don't really care wether the participants are actors or amateurs - the important thing is that the show stays cheap and people like it. So, a actor eager to prove himself somewhere for cheap money and is able to entertain the audience is fine. 
(Either way, there isn't much "reality" in reality shows, at least in the way that it's everyday reality.  )



If the makers are funny enough, this should be the last task for the participants: Jump the Shark.


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## Umbran (Jun 3, 2007)

Mistwell said:
			
		

> Just because people who end up on a show have some performing of some type in their background does not mean that the people who made the decision to cast them on the show cared or even knew about that background.




Whether or not they care we cannot guess with confidence.  But not know?  Unless the potential contestant is actively hiding it, I don't find that credible.  Generally, it'd be right there in the resume or application, and probably available with a quick Google search.  Not knowing would qualify as, "falling down on the job" I think.


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## Mistwell (Jun 3, 2007)

Umbran said:
			
		

> Whether or not they care we cannot guess with confidence.  But not know?  Unless the potential contestant is actively hiding it, I don't find that credible.  Generally, it'd be right there in the resume or application, and probably available with a quick Google search.  Not knowing would qualify as, "falling down on the job" I think.




I cannot say much ( http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=198025 ). So I will speak from just general experience as best I can.  

Applications do not necessary ever ask questions like "have you ever done any performing".  And unless you are a full time actor, the job questions they may ask are probably about your full-time job and current employer, and past full-time or primary jobs.  

Nor are they necessarily personally doing Google searches on people themselves (Producers probably don't have the time commitment to be personally researching dozens of applicants).  They might hire an outside background checking company (like any other company might do), and they would probably look for things like criminal background, mental instability, and that sort of stuff - things relevant to the safety of the participants.

Like I said, you're assuming they care if you have any performing in your background.  I am not sure that is a good assumption.  I am sure they care if you come across well, if you are engaging, if viewers will be interested in watching you, and if you come across as real, and if you will be a pain in the ass to work with.  The kinds of things that are actually relevant to the show.  Whether or not you were in a commercial or some plays or a singer or some kind of performing hobby at some point in your life is not really all that relevant to a show.  It doesn't make you a less "real" participant, because if you "feel" like a performer to them they probably won't pick you.

Anyway, my point is that there is not necessarily a causal connection between having some  performing background and being cast on a reality show.  I think it can be helpful because the skills a performer has may help them impress people in an audition.  But I don't think people are cast specifically because they have a known performing background.


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## Thornir Alekeg (Jun 4, 2007)

Mark CMG said:
			
		

> I'll keep the list updated and keep those set adrift in spoiler tags.  Let's try to keep other spoilers in this thread in tags too, so no one accidently reads anything they shouldn't.



 Just a note: the spoiler tag itself is a giveaway of who has been cast adrift to those of us using the stealth setting.


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## Mark CMG (Jun 4, 2007)

Thornir Alekeg said:
			
		

> Just a note: the spoiler tag itself is a giveaway of who has been cast adrift to those of us using the stealth setting.




That's true.  I should add one for the others that says some other thing.

*edit* That should do it. Thanks!


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## Mark CMG (Jun 8, 2007)

Another one cut adrift!



Spoiler



I was a bit surprised by the removal of the big man.  I wonder if he was more of a drag on the team than shown on screen.


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## Wycen (Jun 8, 2007)

I totally forgot about this last night and I even told my coworkers, (they watch Grey's Anatomy).  It wasn't until 9:30 that I said, "there isn't anything on...oh crap!"


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## Mark CMG (Jun 8, 2007)

Wycen said:
			
		

> I totally forgot about this last night and I even told my coworkers, (they watch Grey's Anatomy).  It wasn't until 9:30 that I said, "there isn't anything on...oh crap!"





Watch it and extras here -

http://www.cbs.com/innertube/


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## Grymar (Jun 8, 2007)

This has potential, but MAN is it over-produced.  From the canned fake sounds when they impale the cards on the daggers (cards that were later shown whole, by the way) to the "set-adrift" boat which has an electric lantern and a rope pulling it through the water, I have a hard time enjoying the show.  The theme is cool, the "game" itself is inspired the way they set up a captain, and that ship is just gorgeous. 

I just wish it wasn't so Mark Burnett.


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## Mistwell (Jun 8, 2007)

It turns out I have a friend of a friend on this show.  My wife's friend George is an ex boyfriend of Kendra on the show, and I think I briefly met Kendra (and I know my wife has).  She is a nice girl, and not an actor.  She is actually very into pirates, and she is a frequent volunteer to sail on the tall ships out of San Pedro, California. She's been in some kind of Pirate guild for many years I think.  

I was really surprised at her poor swimming, since I know she does a lot of scuba diving.  

She also does historical reenactments of Victorian balls, and sews historical costumes.

I hope she does well.


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## Ranger REG (Jun 9, 2007)

LightPhoenix said:
			
		

> Man, I thought reality TV couldn't get any cheesier.



Well, PBS should have thought of it first, since they have done _Texas Ranch House, Colonial House, Manor House,_ etc.


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## Silver Moon (Jun 9, 2007)

Grymar said:
			
		

> I just wish it wasn't so Mark Burnett.



I disagree - I'm a big fan of "Survivor" and find this quasi-Survivor to be the best of both worlds.   Great fun!


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## Mark CMG (Jun 10, 2007)

When they were going to jump into the water to swim for the island for the second treasure hunt the host said they were to be swiming through shark infested waters.  I wonder if that is actually the case?


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## John Crichton (Jun 10, 2007)

Silver Moon said:
			
		

> I disagree - I'm a big fan of "Survivor" and find this quasi-Survivor to be the best of both worlds.   Great fun!



 He's actually the only reason I'm watching this show and the primary reason why I watch The Apprentice.  He knows how to make these ideas work.


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## Mark CMG (Jun 15, 2007)

What's with the accent?


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## Thornir Alekeg (Jun 15, 2007)

I keep forgetting to check this show out until the next day.  I know I can watch it again on my computer, but I get annoyed with the lag I usually get when watching long streaming images.


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## Mark CMG (Jun 15, 2007)

Thornir Alekeg said:
			
		

> I keep forgetting to check this show out until the next day.  I know I can watch it again on my computer, but I get annoyed with the lag I usually get when watching long streaming images.





You might try their system out and see if you get a lag with it.


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## Henry (Jun 15, 2007)

Mark CMG said:
			
		

> When they were going to jump into the water to swim for the island for the second treasure hunt the host said they were to be swiming through shark infested waters.  I wonder if that is actually the case?




Could be small tiger sharks or some other low-end of dangerous variety shark.... 

I watched the 6/14 episode with my wife, at her insistence. It was kind of fun - Azymyth is a fun guy, apparently.  The cast had a ball cracking on his phony accent!  He was having fun with it, though, and if you're going to do a show like this, you might as well have as much fun with it as you can. He hit on the secret to being a good captain, though - spread the damn wealth! If pirate-captains of old ever took over half of the share for themselves, they'd be either demoted or taking a long walk off a short plank in very quick time...

I think it has the potential to be lots of fun, but I think the recent pirate-fervor is what's fueling it (even as perennially cool as pirates are) and I doubt it will be a big hit for more than one season. However, I do know that survivor won't be evergreen forever, and they need something to replace it...


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## Mark CMG (Jun 22, 2007)

The factions constantly being split by the landing party makeups and the volatility of captain and officers positions make this game hugely chaotic.


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## Whizbang Dustyboots (Jun 22, 2007)

Mark CMG said:
			
		

> The factions constantly being split by the landing party makeups and the volatility of captain and officers positions make this game hugely chaotic.



It'd be more natural (and more entertaining) if they were actually split into two ships with two captains. (And no lame-ass auto-mutiny for the team that fails to get the treasure. Lower the mutiny level to majority votes and it might actually happen.)


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## John Crichton (Jun 23, 2007)

I really enjoyed the latest episode where the pardon was introduced.

The "drama" is starting to ratchet up a bit which is always fun, especially if it makes sense.  Louie's hate of JD is perfectly understandable.  It does bug me a bit that some of the weaker players (which happen to be female) are being kept around.  It will be interesting to see how it plays out.  The Black Marks are certainly from the voting of Tribal Counsel.


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## Mark CMG (Jun 24, 2007)

How few pirates can sail a ship that size?


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## John Crichton (Jun 24, 2007)

Yeah, I was wondering how they would do when the number got down to the lower single digits.

:shrug:


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## Mistwell (Jun 24, 2007)

Kendra still handing in there! Yes!


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## Silver Moon (Jun 24, 2007)

Just watched the last two episodes - great fun.   I enjoy the way they are doing the black marks and team splits, it changes the dynamic quite a bit - the introduction of the pardon adds another twist.  As for working the ship with fewer folks, I'm sure that the official pirates aren't the only ones helping with that, just the ones you see on camera.


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## John Crichton (Jun 29, 2007)

Okay, now they have me hooked.

It's not as good as either Survivor or The Amazing Race, but I can see potential.  There is already enough controlled randomness (for a game) in there to keep things fresh for at least a few seasons.  Burnett and company know what they are doing.  The cooky theme is actually starting to work.  I think they'll need one more twist in there to make it work as we head closer to the end but it works for me.

The best thing is that the show improves just about every week.


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## Mark CMG (Jun 29, 2007)

That captain will say just about anything and no one seems to ever know what he means.


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## John Crichton (Jun 29, 2007)

Mark CMG said:
			
		

> That captain will say just about anything and no one seems to ever know what he means.



 Too much rum.


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## Mark CMG (Jul 6, 2007)

Are they voting smart at this point or cutting their own throats?


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## John Crichton (Jul 6, 2007)

Not sure.  Do they need the officers to approve a mutiny?


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## Mark CMG (Jul 6, 2007)

I get the impression that they do not need officers to approve a mutiny and that the captain and officers cannot purchase the pardon.


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## Silver Moon (Jul 12, 2007)

Part of the fun of the show is not knowing what will happen next.  I'm guessing that once they get down to eight it will change to only two officers and two black spots.


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## Mark CMG (Jul 13, 2007)

I think maybe they will have a second ship or something goofy like that.


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## John Crichton (Jul 13, 2007)

Mark CMG said:
			
		

> I get the impression that they do not need officers to approve a mutiny and that the captain and officers cannot purchase the pardon.



 Seems you and I were wrong on the mutiny thing.  I thought the same thing.  But you were right on with the crew being the only ones able to buy the pardon.  Makes sense otherwise the captain/crew could just play keep-away with it.

That ep was pretty good.  The cheese factor was through the roof but I thought it was well edited and produced.  I was into it!

Next week it appears that we are getting blasts from the past.  I approve.  This game needs a shake up right now.  And getting rid of Joe Don?  Wow, those ladies were either all in on some kind of strategy or just voted with their hearts.


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## Mark CMG (Jul 14, 2007)

John Crichton said:
			
		

> Seems you and I were wrong on the mutiny thing.  I thought the same thing.




Yup.  Looks tougher than I thought to get a mutiny.



			
				John Crichton said:
			
		

> But you were right on with the crew being the only ones able to buy the pardon.  Makes sense otherwise the captain/crew could just play keep-away with it.




I was more concerned "captain/oficers," with the added wealth they control, could keep it away from the crew but maybe that is what you mean?



			
				John Crichton said:
			
		

> That ep was pretty good.  The cheese factor was through the roof but I thought it was well edited and produced.  I was into it!
> 
> Next week it appears that we are getting blasts from the past.  I approve.  This game needs a shake up right now.  And getting rid of Joe Don?  Wow, those ladies were either all in on some kind of strategy or just voted with their hearts.





It does look like a concerted effort.  One strategy might be for 



Spoiler



all the women to agree that whichever woman would up on the black team would foil their chances, collapse on the trail, and allow the women to win, then put all men on the black spot until they have all been eliminated.  They could sway Jupiter by promising her the captainship or an officer spot.


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## RigaMortus2 (Jul 14, 2007)

I like this show a lot, more than Survivor anyway.  With the fact that they are winning money each competition, and they can spend it any way they want, such as to bribe people, it makes things like "alliances" and "backstabbing" more meaningful.  There is a reason to make an alliance...  money


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## Ranger REG (Jul 15, 2007)

RigaMortus2 said:
			
		

> it makes things like "alliances" and "backstabbing" more meaningful.  There is a reason to make an alliance...  money



I've yet to see actual "backstabbing" in the literal sense.


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## John Crichton (Jul 15, 2007)

Mark CMG said:
			
		

> I was more concerned "captain/oficers," with the added wealth they control, could keep it away from the crew but maybe that is what you mean?



Yup, that exactly what I mean.  



			
				Mark CMG said:
			
		

> It does look like a concerted effort.  One strategy might be for
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I was actually thinking the same thing during the latest episode, that the girls would at least consider it.  It's really the best move they have right now as they need to get at least one of the Triad out.


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## Mistwell (Jul 16, 2007)

It's past time for a mutiny.

They keep saying they need the officers to vote mutiny as well as the crew...but they are not collecting votes from the officers.  I don't get it.  I guess they need the officers, but it is not clear why.  Maybe because once you have all votes for a mutiny, it is treated like a tie and goes to the officers to break the tie.

Anyway, I am happy our friend Kendra is still on the show.  Wish she could swim better, but I have a feeling she is through the worst of it and the pressure will be off of her for many episodes to come as the backstabbing between the men gets worse.


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## John Crichton (Jul 17, 2007)

Mistwell said:
			
		

> It's past time for a mutiny.



Agreed, altho I think it's better than one happens later than earlier.



			
				Mistwell said:
			
		

> They keep saying they need the officers to vote mutiny as well as the crew...but they are not collecting votes from the officers.  I don't get it.  I guess they need the officers, but it is not clear why.  Maybe because once you have all votes for a mutiny, it is treated like a tie and goes to the officers to break the tie.



I believe they simply need the entire ship to mutiny, just like a real mutiny.  So, like you said, the crew starts it and then the officers carry it through.  Makes it so the captain chooses officers he or she trusts rather than just a tactic for removing votes from the crew.


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## Mistwell (Jul 17, 2007)

They need to combine their gold to bribe the officers to mutiny with them.  It's that, or get picked off one by one until it's just the captain and his crew left.  Though I suppose when it is down to 5-6 people something will need to be done by the rules to adjust things, as you cannot have 3 people (captain plus two officers) versus two or one person.  Well...I guess you could, but it would be much more difficult.


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## Ranger REG (Jul 19, 2007)

Mistwell said:
			
		

> They need to combine their gold to bribe the officers to mutiny with them.  It's that, or get picked off one by one until it's just the captain and his crew left.  Though I suppose when it is down to 5-6 people something will need to be done by the rules to adjust things, as you cannot have 3 people (captain plus two officers) versus two or one person.  Well...I guess you could, but it would be much more difficult.



You can easily bribe Jay, but can you bribe the rejected NSYNC boy?

[sblock]I'm still shaking my head at Jupiter for talking about mutiny in front of the captain and crew. Not surprised she got cast adrift. It's probably a good thing since she made it clear she won't cast a mutiny vote.[/sblock]


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## Mark CMG (Jul 19, 2007)

Spoiler



Losing that key was a huge boneheaded move.



Watch the spoilers, please.


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## Mistwell (Jul 24, 2007)

PIRATE MASTER CANCELED

"CBS will make a quick programming change - for the next two weeks Pirate Master on Thursday nights will be replaced by 48 Hours, and thereafter with repeats of assorted drama series. If you're a fan of Pirate Master, and as it is there are few of you thus the pull, the show's last five episodes will run online at CBS.com"


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## GlassJaw (Jul 24, 2007)

Wow, just as I was getting into this show.  I don't get major networks, seriously.  They pull the plug on shows so fast.


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## Mistwell (Jul 24, 2007)

GlassJaw said:
			
		

> Wow, just as I was getting into this show.  I don't get major networks, seriously.  They pull the plug on shows so fast.




Bad ratings relative to the cost of the show I guess.

Though it's summer.  They already filmed all episodes.  They are already done in post-production, since they are releasing them on the net.  So, what the heck?  Why not just dump them to a new time slot.  Why not broadcast them on TV? Unless there are contract terms that say they don't pay someone if they don't get broadcast on TV.


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## Mark (Jul 25, 2007)

Mistwell said:
			
		

> PIRATE MASTER CANCELED
> 
> "CBS will make a quick programming change - for the next two weeks Pirate Master on Thursday nights will be replaced by 48 Hours, and thereafter with repeats of assorted drama series. If you're a fan of Pirate Master, and as it is there are few of you thus the pull, the show's last five episodes will run online at CBS.com"





That's where I watch anyway.


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## GlassJaw (Jul 25, 2007)

Mistwell said:
			
		

> Bad ratings relative to the cost of the show I guess.




In today's TV market, bad ratings means not pulling in 20 million viewers.  Major networks seem more interested in creating a ton of new shows and hoping for the one big hit rather than building or fostering the fanbase that shows already have.


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## Whizbang Dustyboots (Jul 25, 2007)

Mistwell said:
			
		

> PIRATE MASTER CANCELED
> 
> "CBS will make a quick programming change - for the next two weeks Pirate Master on Thursday nights will be replaced by 48 Hours, and thereafter with repeats of assorted drama series. If you're a fan of Pirate Master, and as it is there are few of you thus the pull, the show's last five episodes will run online at CBS.com"



Not a real surprise, given that my wife and I watch two or three episodes back to back on TiVo. It's just not compelling television.


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## Whizbang Dustyboots (Jul 25, 2007)

GlassJaw said:
			
		

> In today's TV market, bad ratings means not pulling in 20 million viewers.  Major networks seem more interested in creating a ton of new shows and hoping for the one big hit rather than building or fostering the fanbase that shows already have.



Most shows don't pull in 20 million. This just comes down to money. Advertisers don't want to spend money on ads that run on Pirate Master, even if it's part of a package of ads. The network is losing money leaving this bilge rat on the air, so they pulled it.

It's not like it didn't get lots of primo promotion with hardcore reality show fans -- it died all on its own.


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## Mark CMG (Jul 25, 2007)

The ninth show is available already on cbs.com


I am very pleased with the choice of the new Captain.


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## Jamdin (Jul 25, 2007)

Mistwell said:
			
		

> PIRATE MASTER CANCELED
> 
> "CBS will make a quick programming change - for the next two weeks Pirate Master on Thursday nights will be replaced by 48 Hours, and thereafter with repeats of assorted drama series. If you're a fan of Pirate Master, and as it is there are few of you thus the pull, the show's last five episodes will run online at CBS.com"




I was really enjoying watching Pirate Master and CBS pulls this stunt.


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## Mimic (Jul 25, 2007)

Mark CMG said:
			
		

> The ninth show is available already on cbs.com
> 
> 
> I am very pleased with the choice of the new Captain.




Any yet not viewable if you live outside the US.


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## John Crichton (Jul 25, 2007)

EDIT:  Didn't see the cancellation was already posted.

Instead, I will bitch that the last segment won't load for me so I don't know the last 8 minutes yet!


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## SWBaxter (Jul 26, 2007)

GlassJaw said:
			
		

> In today's TV market, bad ratings means not pulling in 20 million viewers.




In _Pirate Master_'s case, the premiere had about 7 million viewers, and it's trended down from there. CBS bumped _Rock Star_ for this show, and sold it to advertisers as a big summer hit - they figured they'd cash in on _Pirates of the Caribbean 3_. When reality clashes so dramatically with hype, it's not too hard to see why it got cancelled. 

What I don't understand is why Mark Burnett didn't get Rupert Boneham to host the show. Given that the show was _Survivor_ on a pirate ship, why not draw in fans with with the guy who defined _Survivor's_ pirate season? I'd say that Jonny Fairplay would also have made an entertaining host, but I understand Burnett won't work with him any more.


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## Mark CMG (Aug 1, 2007)

The tenth show is available on cbs.com


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## Whizbang Dustyboots (Aug 1, 2007)

There are so many obvious mistakes in the implementation of this show. 

Rock Star was really entertaining, but I can imagine it would be hard to keep finding bands each summer to audition for.


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## Mark (Aug 1, 2007)

Whizbang Dustyboots said:
			
		

> There are so many obvious mistakes in the implementation of this show.





And yet just enough done right . . .

[imagel]http://www.enworld.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=30090&stc=[/imagel]


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## Mistwell (Aug 1, 2007)

http://www.generationq.net/articles/Pirate-Master-contestant-takes-life-00001.html

Pirate Master contestant takes life

Cheryl Kosewicz has committed suicide partially blaming television series Pirate Master.

by Chris Pycroft - Associate Producer AU on 2007-08-01

Although the television series Pirate Master has not performed as well as expected both in Australia and the United States, it appears the pressure got too much for one contestant, taking her life and partially blaming the reality television show for the events which lead up to her suicide.

Thirty five year old Cheryl Kosewicz was found dead in her home in Nevada last week, following being the fourth contestant to be eliminated from Pirate Master.

It is believed that a major contributor to Kosewicz’s death was the suicide of her partner Ryan O'Neil who had also committed suicide just two months ago.

Other contestants and fans for the reality show have all expressed their sympathies over the death. The official Pirate Master MySpace says the following message:

“My deepest sympathies to Cheryl's family and friends. My thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time.” “Cheryl, you will be loved and missed by many but never forgotten”.

And from another article:

On a posting on her MySpace website page at the end of June (28Jun07), Kosewicz wrote, "Truthfully, I've lost the strong Cheryl and I'm just floating around lost.

"And this frik'n show doesn't help because it was such a contention between Ryan and I and plus its not getting good reviews."


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## GlassJaw (Aug 1, 2007)

Well that's a downer.   :\ 

Has anybody been watching the episodes online?  I can't be bothered.


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## Mark (Aug 1, 2007)

Mistwell said:
			
		

> http://www.generationq.net/articles/Pirate-Master-contestant-takes-life-00001.html
> 
> Pirate Master contestant takes life
> 
> Cheryl Kosewicz has committed suicide





Well, that is sad, indeed.  It is particularly sad that no one was able to help her boyfriend in time and subsequently unable to help her before it was too late.

As far as her role on Pirate Master is concerned, I think she had been perceived very early in the show physically and intellectually as a threat by most of the group and set adrift accordingly.

However, I get a sense that, much like when D&D is put forth as pivotally to blame in some tragedy, even when the involved person themself makes the accusation, there is so much more going on with them and elsewise as to make such a supposition diversionary from the true root cause(s).

Still, a very sad series of events.


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## John Crichton (Aug 7, 2007)

GlassJaw said:
			
		

> Well that's a downer.   :\



Yeah, that bites.



			
				GlassJaw said:
			
		

> Has anybody been watching the episodes online?  I can't be bothered.



Yeah, I've watched the last 2 weeks but I watch shows online quite a bit.


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## Mark (Aug 7, 2007)

John Crichton said:
			
		

> Yeah, that bites.
> 
> Yeah, I've watched the last 2 weeks but I watch shows online quite a bit.





I have _only_ watched them online.


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## John Crichton (Aug 7, 2007)

Mark said:
			
		

> I have _only_ watched them online.



 That works, too.  Picture quality means next to nothing with reality game shows so I'm mind the little screen.


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## Mark CMG (Aug 8, 2007)

The eleventh show is available on cbs.com


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## Mark CMG (Aug 14, 2007)

The twelfth show is available on cbs.com


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## Mark CMG (Aug 22, 2007)

The thirteenth show is available on cbs.com


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## Mark CMG (Aug 22, 2007)

A bit of deception but about where I thought things would be at this point.  I think what this show has lacked compared to Survivor is a matter of how much we follow the individuals along the way while they relate to other players.


The next episode is the finale.


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## John Crichton (Aug 27, 2007)

I've been busy with GenCon and moving so I just caught the last 2 eps.

I'm really disappointed that the show got canned.  I think it would have been a nice addition to the summer block of gaming shows out there.  High production values and a serious attempt at forcing strategy.  Not close to Survivor (the best of the lot) but a worthy addition.

I can see where Burnett and crew were trying to go with it and with some polish I could see the show being better than it was.  The biggest problem was the super slow start.  It really picked up steam too late.  Bummer.

That said, Christa is a fool for trusting Jay this long.  Then again, all she has to do is beat Ben in the finale.  I'm just rooting for a close finish.


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## John Crichton (Aug 28, 2007)

*On the finale (VERY minor spoilers, winner not revealed):*

That was a fun show!  Burnett lumped together the Survivor and Apprentice final tasks/challenges into a working diplomatic and physical exercise.  And I say well done.  I still say that with some polish, this show could have done very well for a long time.  The mis-steps were all over the place (kvetch-fest with little/no consequence in the ghost court?) but those are things that could have been worked out with proper feedback.

I really enjoyed the long final expedition and the teamworks aspects involved with it.  I could see that part of the game played up in future shows, had the show made it out alive.  Much more satisfying than the typical Survivor stuff (worst part of that excellent show) and considerably better than the drek that Trump puts out live with the Apprentice finales.  No vote, no personal bias, just a winner.  With more colorful personalities (I counted just 3 this time out:  Jay, Louie & Nessa) Pirate Master could have done quite well.

Also, it was nice to see the dedication to Cheryl, who allegedly committed suicide about a month ago.


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## Mark (Aug 29, 2007)

Well, I think we can now drop the spoiler avoidance, if you agree, JC?




Spoiler



Looks like my pick made it to the final two.




I was pleased with the show, overall, and agree with your suggestions on how it might have been made better.  Perhaps it will get another chance next Summer when they start trying to figure out what to do.  I have to believe that the first Survivor was even worse than the first Pirate Master, but for the fact that the first Survivor had the novelty factor.  I think the fitness factor of PM might work against it also, plus you do have to at least be able to swim to a fair degree.  Though Kendra was the slowest swimmer on the show, she could still swim well enough to be able to jump in an ocean and swim to shore.  A lot of people would be unable to be on the show just for that alone.  A lot of the PM challenges were very endurance oriented, far beyond what we see om most reality shows.

Anyway, at the least, people can stream the shows and grab some screenshots of the ship for their various RPG games, as player handouts and such, not to mention that the puzzles are all pretty good model for RPG game puzzles, too.  Mine it while it is still available online, folks!


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## John Crichton (Aug 29, 2007)

Mark said:
			
		

> Well, I think we can now drop the spoiler avoidance, if you agree, JC?



Yes, it appears we are a two-person chat at this point.


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## Mark (Aug 29, 2007)

John Crichton said:
			
		

> Yes, it appears we are a two-person chat at this point.





I could understand them canceling the show if only one of us was watching but with both of us tuning in each week, it just makes no sense!


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