Scurvivor: Pirate Master Debuts

Last night was the debut of 'Pirate Master' on CBS, their summer replacement for 'Survivor,' sitting conveniently in the same time slot. It pits 16 people, each resplendent in high-end pirate gear, against each other in a battle for a bunch of money. Playing the role of Jeff Probst is Cameron Daddo, best(?) known for his apperances on the late, curiously unlamented 'She Spies.'


YAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR!!!

It's basically Pirate Survivor, but the first episode showed a couple of interesting twists, including having the group elect a Captain, who was then given half of the loot from their first treasure hunt. Since the contestants get to keep whatever money they get on the show, that turned out to be a lucrative appointment for Captain Joe Don, who immediately went a little bit overboard (heh heh) in his management style.

The game has a system for deposing the Captain -- all the player needs to unanimously vote to mutiny, at which point the Captain will be "cut adrift." Otherwise, they can vote for one of the three people who the Captain has marked for dismissal.

That didn't happen last night; instead our first contestant to be cut adrift was labelled as a scientist/exotic dancer, which was a nice touch. He came up huge in both parts of the treasure hunt, but then had to go and be a dick about it, thereby ensuring his demise.

The show is totally cheesy and totally entertaining, the perfect summer fill-in. I don't know if I'll be able to keep up with weekly updates, but even if I don't I really just wanted this post published so that when everyone starts calling this show Scurvivor, I can point here and say that I CAME UP WITH THAT. If I could, I would trademark it.