Mark Burnett Movies

An eight-part series following four explorers as they trace the steps of Henry Morton Stanley in his 19th-century quest to find David Livingstone in Tanzania. ~ Bill Ecklund, All Movie Guide

More "reality" fare from producer Mark Burnett (Survivor), Amne$ia was one of several quickly-assembled game shows designed to keep the NBC prime-time fires burning during the TV writers' strike of 2007-2008. Described by some critics as a "friendlier" version of the same network's Moment of Truth, Amne$ia obliged its contestants to answer trivia questions about their own lives, as supplied by friends and family members. The more obscure factoids that the contestant was able to remember, the higher the cash prize. To keep the excitement level high, the "blasts from the past" aimed at the players were totally unscripted, meaning that the player couldn't prepare for the game even if he or she tried. Aptly hosted by comedian/political pundit Dennis Miller, who'd built his enitre career upon obscure and sometimes archaic pop-culture references, Amne$ia debuted February 22, 2008. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Though it wasn't Survivor: Morocco as previously announced, the 15th season of CBS's league-leading reality series Survivor more than compensated for any audience disappointment by being lensed in its entirety in Mainland China--the first American TV series, in fact, to utilize this fascinating location for fifteen consecutive episodes. The producers were granted unprecedented access to many of China's most exotic and spectacular landmarks, ranging from an enormous Shaolin temple to the Great Wall itself. The bulk of the action occurred in the Jiagnxi Province, on two islands in Zhelin Lake. The sixteen castaways participating in the 39-day Survivor competition included the series' youngest-ever contestant, 20-year-old Parkour athlete and film student Michael Zernow, aka "Frosti." Another player could be regarded as a bonafide celebrity--namely, WWE pro wrestler Ashley Massaro. Also on deck this season were professional hunting guide Amanda Kimmel, surfing instructor Aaron Reisberger, poultry farmer Steve Morris (better known as "Chicken"!), former model Dave Cruser, waitress Courtney Yates, school "lunch lady" Denise Martin (whose negative comments about her employers stirred up an unexpected controversy during the "reunion" finale), college coed Jaime Dugan, gravedigger James Clement, professional poker player Jean-Robert Bellande (regarded by some of the contestants as the "villain" of the piece because of his self-serving behavior), Christian radio talkshow host Leslie Nease, elementary school teacher Sherea Lloyd), jeweler Peih-Gee Law, musician Erik Huffman and last but far from least, flight attendant Todd Herzog. In keeping with the Chinese motif, the series' traditional "Outwit, Outplay, Outlast" motto was modified to the more formal and polite "Compete in Intelligence, Compete in Skill, Compete in Endurance." Similarly, the players were divided into two tribes with Chinese names: the Fei-Long, which translates as "Flying Dragon", and the Zhan-Hu, or "Fighting Tiger." And finally, the weekly Tribal Council meetings were played against an impressive 100-foot replica of a Chinese temple. Tough there was no "Exile Island" on this occasion, the two tribes were allowed to "kidnap" members of the competiting tribe during the weekly Reward Challenge. These abductees were obliged to remain with their captives until the next Immunity Challenge, and also to share clues (provided by the producers) to the location of the two Immunity Idols. And speaking of THOSE, there was a new wrinkle on the whole "Idol" concept this time around, with a false Immunity Idol showing up at one juncture to throw the players off track. Survivor: China began on September 20, 2007, with a general get-together in downtown Shanghai, and ended on December 16, with the obligatory reunion show in Los Angeles. This last episode, as ever, was capped by the apperance of series host Jeff Probst, exhorting the viewer to return the following season when the Survivor crew would journey to Micronesia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Another Survivor clone from producer Mark Burnett, the CBS reality series Pirate Master was clearly inspired by the extremely popular "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie franchise. Set during its first season on the Caribbean island of Dominica, the series featured sixteen contestants role-playing as 18th century pirates, replete with colorful costumes, archaic weaponry and "arr-matey" dialogue. For 33 days, the contestants sailed on a 179-foot pirate ship in search of a million-dollar treasure which (it says here) was buried by one "Captain Steel." Every episode had its quota of clues both blatant and hidden, and there were also physical and mental challenges to keep thinks lively. Inasmuch as everyone was supposed to be a buccaneer, such intangibles as "honesty" and "fair play" were forced to walk the plank: Indeed, on each episode the players were encouraged--nay, required--to lie, cheat and steal in their quest for treasure. In true pirate fashion, a different contestant was elected as temporary captain each week, and it was up to him (or her) to banish those players who'd been voted off the show, using a prop cutlass to cast those unfortunates adrift. Unlike the somewhat more spontaneous Survivor, the various challenges shown herein were carefully scripted, and most of the contestants seemed to be culled from the ranks of showbiz professionals. Originally titled CBS Pirates Project, Pirate Master was hosted by Cameron Daddo, the series first set sail on May 31, 2007. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The premise of this "generation-gap" game show was implicit in its title. Each episode featured adult contestants, who were asked question culled from acutual school textbooks aimed at Grades One through Five. The grownup contestants were expected to know the same things that were presumably common knowledge to 5th graders--and when they didn't know (which was often), they were helped along by the five schoolchildren who were on the show's regular "staff ": Kyle Collier, Alana Etheridge, Jacob Hays, Laura Marano and Spencer Martin. Ten "subject" questions were asked per game, for cash prizes up to and including one million dollars. When seeking help from the kids, the adults were allowed three "cheats": The Peek (in which they could look at a child's answer), The Copy (they could use the child's answer) and The Save (the adult who guessed wrong could take the kid's "right" answer). Those who lost not only missed out on the cash, but were humiliated before a nationwide audience, forced to face the camera and confess "I am NOT smarter than a fifth grader." Produced by Mark Burnett (Survivor) and hosted by comedian Jeff Foxworthy, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? made its Fox network bow on February 27, 2007. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

For the third time in its 12-season history, the CBS reality series Survivor heads to Panama. Though the usual 16 contestants spend 39 days on the usual island for the usual million-dollar prize, a few changes in the format are introduced in this outing. For one, the season begins with the contestants divided up into four tribes rather than the standard two. The La Mina tribe consists of the "older men," the Casaya is comprised of "the older women," the Viveros is made up of "the younger men," and the Bayoneta represents "the younger women"; however, these four separate factions are quickly fused into two a few weeks before the inevitable merger into the single Gitanos tribe. The other major change finds certain contestants avoiding the indignity of being voted off the island by being banished to the separate "Exile Island," with the opportunity of returning to the game at a later date. Although the outcasts on Exile Island must fend for themselves without the minimal creature comforts enjoyed by the other contestants, there is one fringe benefit to their banishment: somewhere on Exile Island is hidden the coveted Immunity Idol, which will protect its owner right up to the Final Four playoffs. In other developments, this season represents the first time that a contestant receives three Immunities in a row; that lucky player is airline pilot Terry Deitz. Also, for the first time since the series' first season, another player is removed from the competition due to a medical emergency; Bruce Kanegai, a karate instructor and art teacher, is that unfortunate soul. Rounding out the "cast" this season are Shane Powers, the mercurial owner of an entertainment-marketing firm; Tina Scheer, a logging-sports promoter; Sally Schumann, a social worker; Ruth Marie Milliman, a retail-leasing director; Bobby Mason, an attorney; Nick Stansbury, a law-school candidate; Misty Giles, an engineer; Melinda Hyder, a professional singer; Danielle DiLorenzo, a medical sales rep; Dan Barry, a retired astronaut; Cirie Fields, a registered nurse; Aras Baskauskas, a yoga instructor; Courtney Marit, a performance artist; and Austin Carty, a novelist. These names are listed in no particular order -- we're not about to reveal the "Sole Survivor" until the time comes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

It was clear at the outset of the 2005-2006 season that the TV career of domestic diva Martha Stewart had not been injured in the least by her recent five-month prison stay. No fewer than two series starring Stewart debuted that year: one of them was the daily, syndicated talkfest Martha; the other was the weekly, hour-long NBC reality show The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. In the tradition of the original Apprentice, which of course was presided over by zillionaire Donald Trump, the new series found Martha Stewart selecting a protégé to run one of her many business enterprises amongst 16 contestants (ten female, six male). These worthies were first divided into teams and given job tasks of increasing importance to test their abilities, helped along in these endeavors by input from a variety of high-profile corporate sponsors. And as in the Trump version of The Apprentice, one of the contestants was eliminated at the end of each episode, with Martha doing the firing honors (at the time the series aired, Stewart claimed she'd never dismissed anyone face to face, leaving that unpleasant task to her subordinates). The series' highly appropriate theme song was Annie Lennox' "Sweet Dreams Are Made of These." Executive produced by Survivor's Mark Burnett, The Apprentice: Martha Stewart debuted September 21, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Inasmuch as Survivor: Palau is regarded as the "healthy comeback" for the hitherto faltering Survivor franchise, it should not be surprising that the audience for the traditional post-game "reunion" special should be one of the largest in the series' history. Certainly the cast is the largest, with the 20 castaways who appeared at the beginning of the season all making return appearances. And, of course, the center of attention is the series' oldest sole survivor, Tom Westman. This reunion special originally aired live from New York's Ed Sullivan Theater. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Set in Palau, a cluster of independently governed islands near Micronesia, the tenth season of Survivor is described at the outset by series host Jeff Probst as "a season of firsts." And indeed it is. For the first time, 20 contestants -- two more players than ever before -- are whisked off to the exotic locale that will serve as the series' backdrop for 39 days. For the first time, three people are voted off the island in the initial episode -- and one of these is the first African-American contestant to be eliminated after only three days. For the first time, no new tribe is formed when the remaining members of the original tribes are merged. And those are but a few of this year's "firsts." One of the season's "stars" turns out to be Coby Archa, an extremely vocal gentleman whose constant complaints and bursts of anger (described by TV Guide as "high school frustration") place him on the same lofty level as the "whiner supreme" from season one, the unforgettable Susan Hawk. That Coby doesn't make it to the final four is no surprise, though those who do make it are surprising in their own right. After the final episode of Survivor: Palau, the memorabilia from the season is auctioned off, with proceeds benefiting the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS foundation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

As originally conceived, the seventh season of the popular CBS "reality" game show Survivor was to have been an "all-star" exravaganza, with the winners of the previous seasons' competitions, together with the most popular players, reuniting for another round of challenges and elimations. However, Survivor: All Stars was temporarily shelved to make way for a brand-new competition, set in the Pearl Islands, a chain of 100 islands off the coast of Panama that were once infamous for their confluence of pirates and buccaneers (season seven was initially titled "Survivor: Panama," but this title had already been used by the British version of the series). In keeping with the "pirate" motif, the 16 contestants were divided into the "Drake" and "Morgan" tribes. Also, the competition involved acts of larceny, with significants objects being stolen from one tribe by the other and vice versa. And, of course, there was a mad scramble for a buried treasure with selected players holding sections of the treasure map in their hot little hands. This aspect of the game was one of several "firsts" occurring throughout Survivor: Pearl Islands. Other examples include the first player to voluntarily quit the game without being voted off the island (Osten Taylor), and the first time in which six people previously eliminated were offered the opportunity to return to the game. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide