‘Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance’ exclusive: ET Canada’s Erin Cebula looks ahead at season, upcoming special

The premiere of “Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance” on September 23 is a few day s away now, and if you are in Canada, there’s another way to turn your Wednesday night into a “Survivor” TV event. Starting at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time on Global, a special entitled “ET Canada’s Ultimate Survivor Adventure” is going to air that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the location, the castaways, and even some of the challenges. You’re going to get a sense of Jeff Probst’s excitement, see some of the players, and a good sense at some of what could be coming their way. This special is the first time a Canadian television crew has visited the set of the show.

At the forefront of much of this coverage is “ET Canada” reporter Erin Cebula (pictured above with the cast), who hosts the “Survivor” special and conducts all of the individual interviews. We spoke with her about some of what went into making the special out in Cambodia, along with her take on some of the players and just how grueling the heat and the heavy rainfall were on her and the crew in their short time there. Before diving in, rest assured that you can check out all of Cebula’s “Survivor” coverage, including interviews, videos, and more, over at this link.

CarterMatt – I know that ‘ET Canada’ has a pretty impressive presence down there for location. What did you guys bring down there?

Erin Cebula – What we did, we had to do with a skeleton crew, to be honest. To shoot a half an hour special and all of the segments for ‘ET Canada,’ there were six of us, but we could’ve definitely used a few more hands, just moving our gear. We had a steadicam, a drone,  we had our regular cameras and equipment for lighting, everything that we needed to make a special. But we had a pretty awesome team, and I’m not exaggerating, everybody says ‘it was a joy to work with so-and-so.’ I’m being 100% when we say that we bonded like you would not believe. It was so challenging sometimes because of the heat, and moving our gear and moving ourselves when it was 47 degrees plus humidity. We really had to work together, and we had a couple of jokers on the crew, including myself, people who like to keep it light. We had some fans on the crew; our producer Daniel loves the show like nobody I’ve ever seen. To have him there was pretty incredible because he kept people really excited about the game. His excitement was contagious.

How much of a sense do you get about how popular this show is [in Canada]? I’ve lived both in the United States in Canada, and it’s really interesting in that it feels like the passion for the show from Canadians is huge, even though they can’t even play [in the season].

It’s always been a hit here and a hit for Global, the network that I work for. Back when it launched I used to have ‘Survivor’ parties at my house for at least three seasons. We used to have a potluck and we’d put on our money down on [certain castaways]. I don’t think that curiosity has completely left; people are still excited about ‘Survivor,’ and I think it’s constantly changing. I think some of the [ideas] have been hits and some have been misses. I think this season, and I know Jeff [Probst] would agree since he said it to me several times on set: he’s really excited about this season. There’s something special about a second chance. These players were voted on by fans, so they’re getting to see the people they’re most excited about on the island. This has been the most challenging environment that they’ve faced so far in terms of heat, rain, everything that comes along with ‘Survivor.’ It is grueling; I have a newfound respect for these competitors.

I have heard that the weather was grueling, even for some of the time that you may have been out there. Were you there for some of torrential downpours?

We were actually lucky during our shoot days, and we had been warned that the rains were really heavy, and actually the day that we interviewed all 20 castaways, which was about an eight-hour process and we had every castaway for about ten minutes or so, we all had to do it in the pouring rain. We literally sat there, there was no other option, no other way to get the castaways. I literally sat on a chair in the pouring rain, wiping my mascara away and prepping for my next interview while the guys tried to keep the cameras dry. It was nuts; at some point, we just had to look at each other and laugh. We just sat there as it poured on us, and the show had to go on.

I’ve seen a lot of preseason interviews at this point for the season, so of course I have people who I’ve found impressive. (Note: You can read about some of that in our just-completed spotlight series.) What I’m curious about is if there was anyone that you could find yourself gravitating towards if you were playing.

There was a few people. There were people I think could do very well and then people that I liked. I think Jeremy is just a dude. He’s a fantastic person, and he has an energy that is so appealing. You want to be around him. Joe is like that, as well. I think Tasha, she is somebody I’d like to roll with, but those people don’t necessarily win ‘Survivor.’ Jeff Varner, I think he is a crafty one, and I think he’s going to be a force to be reckoned with. Ciera, I think people will underestimate her … anyone who can vote out their mom is pretty ruthless, and there was something in her eyes and in Jeff’s eyes that made me think that they were there to play.

Did you find it easy to get people to open up to you, or did you get any sort of resistance from some of the players on any subject? For example, it’s crazy to think that these people didn’t try to talk to each other beforehand to say ‘do you want to be in an alliance?’ or [something like that].

I think there was definitely some chatter between some of them before. Jeff Varner admitted already to having an alliance with Kimmi Kappenberg. Who knows if that is going to play out, or if that was just something … It could just be something he’s throwing out there, because that’s going to make its way through the tribes. I think these are players. These are people who think about every move. They were open with me I think to a point. Everything is about strategy.

Who knows? I like to think I’m a good judge of when people are giving me the straight goods, but I think with ‘Survivor’ it’s really tough. These are gamers! These are people who know what they are doing!

Was there anyone out there who you found you were extra-nervous or excited about talking to beforehand? I’ve been doing exit interviews [since season 19], but I know that I would be talking with Stephen [Fishbach].

I sure as hell had that with Jeff Probst. He to me is such an impressive person. His ability to produce and to host; he’s so involved in every challenge, and he knows everything about every castaway. I’m blown away by his brainpower. That was someone, I just wanted a little bit of what he has going on to rub off onto me, you know? That was my fan moment.

This special that [‘ET Canada’] is doing is airing on [September 23 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time]. What are some things that people should look forward to seeing?

I think you’re going to get a chance to see the castaways having some fun. I definitely had some fun in the interviews, and I think I was able to relax them. They were desperate for some conversation; they were in sequester for so long and they just wanted to talk. There was some fun there, and it will be great for fans to see that side of them.

You’re going to get a chance to see me in some very humbling segments, competing in some challenges. I ate a scorpion in a food challenge, which was pretty awesome and pretty gross and good TV. It looks beautiful, I have to say. Our prediction team really pulled out all the stops. You’re going to get a great sense of the location, the heat, the rain. You’re going to get a lot in these 23 minutes. It’s fun and it’s fast-paced, and it is really going to pump people up before the premiere of the show.

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