May 12, 2003
SURVIVOR TIDBITS....Last night, at the very end of the season finale of Survivor, Jeff Probst turned to Heidi, the cute, blonde, gym teacher and said (approximately) this: What's
surprising [insert tone of disbelief] is that I was going through my
notes for the show, and your IQ score was the highest in the group! But
that really didn't come through....
Do the Survivor producers really give all the contestants an IQ test? Why?
Posted by Kevin Drum at May 12, 2003 10:44 AM
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Well, it's not because they are worried about their viewers passing one...
[Note: This is totally unreliable, and fit only for water coolers, where other urban myths are blithely traded.]
I have it on very thin word (from a friend's friend, who says he
knows someone from the show) that they're given a battery of psych and
intelligence tests. The psych tests are given for obvious reasons. The
IQ tests are apparently given to weed out the intelligent--because
after all the show wants to appeal to the Average American. According
to the source, IQs need to be no higher than average.
Yeah, the psych tests sound reasonable. People who become serial
murderers under conditions of stress probably aren't good candidates for
the show.
I have to admit that last season's show was so highly populated by
obvious dolts that I had the strong suspicion that it was deliberate.
On the other hand, this season had a school principal, an attorney, and a
rocket scientist, among others, so they can't be too allergic to bright
people....
I think the psyche tests are for screening, but the IQ test are
primarily for AFTER the show, to offer a good spin--the headline: "The
Dumb Triumph" or something like that.
The more they know about the contestants, the more fun/interesting ways there are to spin the results.
I know someone who got close to being on a similar show, and they are looking for nice little sound bites to use on the show.
'Genius who met Elvis' plays better than 'Graduated in the 50th percentile and plays online games'.
Emma said it. That and this is one of the few places in the U.S.
that diversity is genuinely desirable. Oh, it's not in the U.S. you
say? Excuse me.
Hey...maybe this is another example of "dumb but good" people? ...or maybe just "dumb"
"Yeah, the psych tests sound reasonable. People who become serial
murderers under conditions of stress probably aren't good candidates for
the show."
Actually it has probably more to do with the fact that one of the
first Swedish participants comitted suicide after the show. He was the
first to get voted out, and after it was shown on TV, it killed himself.
"On the other hand, this season had a school principal, an attorney,
and a rocket scientist, among others, so they can't be too allergic to
bright people...."
Talk about your non sequiturs . . .
Actually, the producers want to have a good mix of personality types
in each "tribe." They wantto make sure that there are going to be
conflicts and alliances and schemers and dupes. With so much riding on
each season, the producers can't just rely on the luck of the draw to
some up with that sort of mix, so they plant the seeds of this sort of
action when they "cast" the show.
Yeah, previous seasons haven't always been as successful, but this go
round was pretty good, I thought (though my wife still thinks the Kenya
season was better).
There. I've outed myself.
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