‘Survivor’ Hype: The CBS Tribe Has Spoken

It was Harold Greene, anchor of the KCBS-TV 11 p.m. “news,” who alerted me to the situation.

This was Tuesday night, and “The Station of the People” had just finished a segment on how “Survivor” castoff Jerri Manthey’s star was rising in Hollywood. (As proof, she’s appearing in a production of the play “Lady Macbeth Gets a Divorce” at the Beverly Hills Playhouse.)

After the piece, co-anchor Gretchen Carr read a teaser for Thursday night’s “Survivor” finale.

“Arguably the biggest night in television in recent memory,” Harold Greene said.

Since I hadn’t watched “Survivor” this time around, I was grateful for Harold Greene’s heads-up. Thanks to Harold Greene, I tuned in Thursday night and watched a helicopter land on the roof of CBS headquarters at Beverly and Fairfax. I had never seen that before, although in certain dreams I am flying low over the Farmers Market, wondering if there’s a wait at Du-par’s.

Really, though, I can’t give Harold Greene all the credit. It is unfair to expect Harold Greene or any one media individual to remind you to watch “arguably the biggest night in television in recent memory.”

So, in no particular order, I would like to give a nod to all the media outlets whose tireless work enabled me and others to stay abreast of the goings-on in the Australian Outback these past several months: CBS’ “The Howard Stern Radio Show,” CBS’ “The Early Show,” CBS’ “Late Show With David Letterman,” CBS’ “Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn,” https://www.cbs.com, the entire KCBS “news” team, “Entertainment Tonight,” “Access Hollywood,” Entertainment Weekly, People magazine and TV Guide. If I have left you off the list, know that you have my heartfelt thanks and that it would probably help if you were part of the CBS-Viacom family.

Finally, I would like to relate an incident that I think captures the kind of team effort it takes to share “Survivor” with as many people as possible. This happened during the finale, around 8:30. I was hungry and craving a Burrito Mexicano from Baja Fresh. The nearest Baja Fresh is only two blocks from my house, but there was just no way I was going to be able to make it there and back without missing at least some piece of the show (I am afraid of my VCR). I called ahead for the food, marched out of the house, and drove. In the car, I tuned to KLSX-FM (97.1), and the talk team of Conway and Steckler was talking about yes, you guessed it, “Survivor.” So I was taken care of for the two-minute drive.

Now it was up to Baja Fresh. Would my food be ready? I was concerned, particularly when I walked into the place and saw a long line at the counter. Hesitantly, hoping against hope, I asked the woman behind the counter if order No. 41 was ready. I am happy to tell you that it was.

“Survivor,” as has been stated by the participants and by “Survivor” PhD candidate Bryant Gumbel, is not just a TV show or a game. It’s about people and hardship and forming alliances to cope with the hardships--in my case, alliances with Harold Greene and Baja Fresh.

It’s about going to dark places and ultimately becoming a better you.

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By the Numbers

* The final installment of “Survivor” drew 41 million viewers in its last half-hour. F16