See Ya, Sucker!

Image credit: Jeff Probst: Monty Brinton

Image credit: Jeff Probst: Monty Brinton

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Survivor

SETUP Guided by torches that symbolize being ''alive in this game'' the contestants trek ''a long way'' (although we don't exactly know how long is ''long'') from camp to Tribal Council. Then they get to do basically the same thing they do at camp: sit on uncomfortable logs and shoot each other evil looks. Host Jeff Probst asks questions designed to make the tribe members hate each other even more before the voting begins.

FETISH OBJECT Flaming tiki torches

CATCH PHRASE ''The tribe has spoken.''

DON'T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU ON THE WAY OUT Probst repeats on every episode, ''Once the votes are read, the decision is final. That person will be asked to leave the Tribal Council area immediately.'' (Someday, someone's gotta ask, ''C'mon, Jeff. Please can I stay if I really, really beg for it?'')

WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL Probst deserves some respect: Anyone can go around saying, ''You're fired,'' but it takes a certain type of TV nerd to be able to utter, ''The tribe has spoken,'' for the hundredth time and keep a straight face.

BONUS Near the end of each season, it's fun to see recently voted-off contestants return to Tribal Council from the Survivor Hotel and Spa looking all fat and happy from their few days in jury-duty-with-benefit-of-pancakes land.