[ WEEKEND SCENE ]
Island-style fun as seen
through the camera’s eye
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM
Koa Sky loosened up for the "Survivor" auditions by practicing some yoga before getting onstage to pitch herself to the reality television program. Auditions were held yesterday at the Ward Warehouse amphitheater.
Contenders show off
their ‘Survivor’ skillsAbout 180 audition for a chance
to be on the show next season
Pebbles Nakamoto is a survivor. So are Lisa Baggett, Rosie Rowe and Paul Munet.
Or at least they -- and 180 other applicants for the ninth season of NBC's "Survivor" -- said they were yesterday at the first-ever Hawaii auditions for the hit show.
People started lining up at the Ward Warehouse amphitheater for the tryouts at about 7 yesterday morning. By 10 a.m., when the auditions began, more than 90 people had already signed up.
Hopefuls were given three minutes to talk to a camera, and a crowd of about 150, on why they should be chosen for the show. The tapes go to the show's producers, who whittle thousands of "Survivor" candidates down to 16 participants.
During yesterday's auditions, some used their camera time to talk about their bad qualities -- how they lie or cheat or steal well -- while others showed off their muscles or their smarts.
A few sang, several joked and one woman, yoga student and retired schoolteacher Koa Sky, stood on her head.
"They always have a token old person," she said. "I'm a really young old person."
Nakamoto, who as this year's Ms. Asia Hawaii wore a black ball gown and her crown to the tryout, promised she is tougher than she appears.
"I'm very competitive," she said. "After the crown is off, I get down and dirty."
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM
Christa Hatch wrapped up her audition in front of the camera for the "Survivor" television show. The Kalani High School teacher brought one of her three children, Jamie, onstage with her for the taping. Filming the audition was cameraman Bill Paris.
Meanwhile, Baggett, a U.S. Army mental health specialist stationed at Schofield Barracks who slapped her face with war paint and wore fatigues for the auditions, said she was just as tough as she looked.
"I think it's the ultimate ... to challenge yourself and say, 'OK, I can do this,'" she said after trying out. "I know I am tough enough because I am a soldier."
Tim Harding, who is also in the Army and stationed at Schofield, said he's never watched "Survivor." But he thought it wouldn't hurt to sign up for a chance to win the show's $1 million grand prize. Plus, he said, "I've always wanted to be on TV."
Rowe's kids "shoved me out the door" for the auditions, she said. The 42-year-old Waimanalo resident, mother of four and grandmother of two said she's ready for all of the show's challenges, including eating whatever rodent happens to be endemic to the show's chosen country.
"I can do that," she said, laughing.
It's still a secret where the next "Survivor" season will be filmed. Past shows have been stationed in Africa, Australia, Malaysia, the Marquesas, the Amazon and Thailand.
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM
Justin Nelson filled out an application yesterday to audition for the "Survivor" television show. Questions on the applications ranged from "Who's your hero and why?" to "Do you have any body art (such as tattoos or piercings)?"
Ricardo Dellear, a waiter at the Outrigger Canoe Club, said he doesn't care what location the show's producers choose. All he wants is the money and "to be the sole survivor."
Applicants for yesterday's tryouts have a chance to be called for the show's semifinal interviews in March and finals one month later.
Many of the contestants, who ranged in age from 21 to 64, said they would be able to hack any hardship the show's creators could dream up because of the hands-on survival practice they've already had in life.
"If you can survive Tripler (Army Medical Center), you can survive anything," said nurse Gwen Benitez.
Mildred Kahala, of Kailua, said she's been "surviving all my life."
And Kathy O'Conner, a state Department of Health social worker, began her audition with, "I survived cancer."
During his auditions, Munet, a coconut tree climber and weaver from Kauai, tried to balance one of his handmade baskets on his nose. It didn't work but people clapped anyway.
"Surviving is my life, really," he said after his tryout. "Surviving is like in your heart."
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM
Awaiting their turn for auditions yesterday were Jay DeAnda, from Lodi, Calif., left; Sarah Fry, from Hilo; and Crystal Leisure, from San Diego. Fry flew in from Hilo just to audition.
