Surviving Before 'Survivor'

Tuesday marked the last day of interviews in Los Angeles for the group of 50 finalists that were chosen from the submissions of over 50,000 people who wanted to be part of the next chapter in the 'Survivor' series. Because the show has proven to be a viable springboard into a myriad of opportunities for its more colorful contestants, interest in being on the show has skyrocketed.

Keith, from 'Survivor: The Australian Outback', was recently rewarded with his own cooking show, while Colleen, from the original 'Survivor', is now appearing in a starring role in a major motion picture. OK, so the movie is 'Animal' with Rob Shneider, but it's a major production nonetheless. These kinds of opportunities don't usually present themselves unless you have already established a public identity for yourself. Outside of a straight-up acting job or a run for political office, there just aren’t that many chances for folks to get the kind of global exposure that 'Survivor' offers its contestants. That's why the competition is fierce and why the show's legal experts have made it clear in their contract language that all contestants will be playing only by the rules of 'Survivor', or they won't be playing at all.

Contestants sign contracts before they are even chosen to be on the show that give ownership and copyright privileges to the show for all of the clips that are provided, as well as rights to the image and biographical information of contestants. All of this only begins to scratch the surface of the 14-page document, which covers all aspects of the show's hush-hush security measures. It all seems worth the effort for the happy contestants, however. After all, the 16 "winners" will be deposited into the African desert and forced to survive on next to nothing for several weeks. Who could ask for anything more?