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TV This Week

‘Survivor,’ an exceptionally apt title

Returning CBS show has stayed fresh with new permutations

By Louisa Ada Seltzer

September 19, 2012

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When a reality show has been around for as long as “Survivor,” now heading into its 25th season, it needs a few gimmicks to keep things fresh.

Over the years the show has split its tribes among gender, racial and age lines. It has invited booted-off players back into the game. It’s done two all-star editions.

Now it’s getting into celebreality.

On the premiere of “Survivor: Philippines” tonight at 8 p.m., two quasi-famous people join the cast, ex Major League Baseball star Jeff Kent and former “The Facts of Life” star Lisa Whelchel.

The show has had well-known people on before, such as beauty pageant contestants and former professional athletes, but Kent and Whelchel are the most famous.

Their presence will undoubtedly cause another round of speculation over whether “Survivor” will ever do a celebrity edition, an idea that’s been floating for the past decade.

CBS certainly hopes curiosity about the two celebrities helps drive tune-in for “Survivor,” which has held up remarkably well over the years.

The show averaged a 2.9 adults 18-49 rating last spring, down 12 percent from the fall season but still ranking a solid No. 32 on broadcast. And it finished second in its timeslot behind only Fox’s dominating “American Idol.”

This fall it airs against Fox’s “The X Factor,” which had a solid premiere last week. Though ratings for “Survivor” will probably slide once again simply due to age, it should be the No. 2 show in the hour behind “Factor.”

A look at this week's top TV draws
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	CBS	"Survivor" (R)	Season premiere. The show's 25th season takes place in the Philippines.
8 p.m.	Fox	"The X Factor" (R)	Another set of early-round auditions.
9 p.m.	USA	"Royal Pains" (D)	Season finale. Hank reflects on his life while treating a patient.
9 p.m.	Food Network	"Restaurant: Impossible" (R)	Helping a couple who bought a restaurant in an auction, even though they have no experience.
9:30 p.m.	CBS	"Big Brother" (R)	Season finale. The finalists are interviewed by the jury, which then selects a winner.
10 p.m.	Discovery Channel	"How Booze Built America" (N)	Series premiere. The first of a three-parter starts in the colonial days.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	ABC	"Wipeout" (R)	Season finale. Teachers try their hands at the obstacle course in front of their students.
9 p.m.	NBC	"The Office" (C)	Season premiere. The comedy kicks off its ninth and final season.
9 p.m.	WE	"Braxton Family Values" (R)	Season finale. Toni performs with her sisters while on vacation.
9 p.m.	Lifetime	"Project Runway" (R)	Debra Messing is the guest judge as the designers create costumes for the Rockettes.
10 p.m.	NBC	"Rock Center with Brian Williams" (N)	Can the newsmagazine maintain momentum coming off last week's series-high rating?
10 p.m.	FX	"Wilfred" (C)	Season finale. Final episode of the season is titled "Secrets."
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	NBC	"2012 ALMA Awards" (A)	Eva Longoria and George Lopez host the annual event.
8 p.m.	HGTV	"The White Room Challenge" (R)	The design competition returns from a hiatus.
8:30 p.m.	Disney Channel	"Code: 9" (R)	Kids pull a prank on their mom at a yoga studio.
9 p.m.	Starz	"Boss" (D)	In secret, the mayor gets treatment at an alternative clinic.
10 p.m.	Syfy	"Haven" (D)	Season premiere. Duke and Nathan search for Audrey while the town endures more strange occurrences.
10 p.m.	TLC	"Secret Princes" (R)	Series premiere. Kind of like "Bachelor Pad" in Atlanta, except the four participants are real-life princes.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
Time	Network	Program	Description
2 p.m.	NBC	"PGA Golf" (S)	The Tour Championship, the final event of the FedExCup playoffs.
3:30 p.m.	Fox	"Major League Baseball" (S)	Regional games could include Dodgers-Reds and Braves-Phillies.
7:30 p.m.	NBC	"College Football" (S)	Traditional rivalry game between Michigan and Notre Dame in South Bend.
8 p.m.	ABC	"College Football" (S)	Tough ACC game between Clemson and Florida State.
8 p.m.	Lifetime	"Last Hours in Suburbia" (M)	A teenage girl tries to clear herself after being accused of causing a deadly car accident.
11:30 p.m.	NBC	'Saturday Night Live" (C)	Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt hosts and Mumford and Sons perform.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
Time	Network	Program	Description
1:30 p.m.	NBC	"PGA Golf" (S)	Final round of the Tour Championship, won last year by Bill Haas.
8 p.m.	ABC	"Emmy Awards" (A)	The 64th annual event, hosted this year by Jimmy Kimmel.
8:15 p.m.	NBC	"Sunday Night Football" (S)	Rematch of last year's AFC Championship game between Baltimore and New England.
10 p.m.	Bravo	"The Real Housewives of New Jersey" (R)	Season finale. "The Strip Down Memory Lane" deals with the aftermath of Strippergate.
10 p.m.	HBO	"Treme" (D)	Season premiere. The new season begins in fall 2007, with LaDonna not 100 percent sure about her temporary home.
10 p.m.	Food Network	"$24 in 24" (R)	Series premiere. How to get a day's worth of good food on $24. The first city examined: Chicago.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.