Burnett
CBS has scratched plans to telecast next month's "Survivor: Pearl Islands" reunion special live from Panama.
"Survivor" exec producer Mark Burnett and Eye execs made the decision after the Panama City landmark where the special was set to originate collapsed unexpectedly.
Instead, the "Survivor" reunion special -- set to air Dec. 14 at 10 p.m. after the two-hour finale -- will now be telecast from CBS Television City in Los Angeles. Jeff Probst remains as host.
The "Survivor" reunions have flipped back and forth between New York and Los Angeles since the reality skein launched. For "Pearl Islands," Burnett had hoped to mix things up by airing the special live from a "Survivor" host country (in this case, Panama) for the first time.
But then the Arco Chato ("flat arch"), a 325-year-old architectural marvel, fell apart on Nov. 7. Part of the Santo Domingo Convent ruins, the arch was one of Panama City's top tourist attractions. It was also instrumental in the birth of the Panama Canal: The country used the Arco Chato as proof that Panama was less prone to earthquakes than its chief rival, Nicaragua.
A CBS representative said pre-production had not yet begun in Panama for the special, making the move to Los Angeles easy.
Meanwhile, Eye also confirmed speculation that the next installment of "Survivor," an all-star edition featuring past contestants, would premiere after the Super Bowl on Feb. 1.
Move is a no-brainer for the web, and has been expected since the net announced the edition at its upfront presentation (
Daily Variety, May 15).
Contact Michael Schneider at
mike.schneider@variety.com