CBS and Sears today announced the launch of a first-of-its kind SURVIVOR “Casting Call” online contest*. One lucky fan will win a trip to Los Angeles to audition in front of the SURVIVOR casting team for a potential spot on an upcoming season of the popular CBS reality series. After nearly 10 years, SURVIVOR remains a top 20 show in viewers and top 15 show in the adult 18-49 category, continuing to dominate its time period in all key ratings measures.From Monday, Jan. 18 through Sunday, Feb. 21, fans can visit the Sears-sponsored hub at http://www.cbs.com/castingsears and upload a 30 to 60-second video of themselves explaining why they think they could win SURVIVOR. The top 10 entries will be selected by the SURVIVOR casting team.
Then on Monday, Feb. 22, the top 10 selected videos will be opened to the general public for a vote. Fans can vote for their favorite submissions until Friday, March 5. The winner will be flown to Los Angeles to audition for a spot on the show.
“Sears is thrilled to work with CBS to support the casting call for SURVIVOR,” said Richard Gerstein, senior vice president, marketing for Sears Holdings. “This is a new and unique way to allow consumers to engage and interact with both the CBS SURVIVOR brand and the Sears brand. We are constantly looking for ways to offer our customers enhanced experiences and are proud to be the first major retailer to offer the chance to become a reality show contestant through this online engagement.”
“SURVIVOR single-handedly defined a new television genre, and we’re proud to see its success and popularity continue among millions of fans,” says Jeff Clark, vice president of CBS.com. “Working with Sears gave us the opportunity to reach out and give back to the huge SURVIVOR fan base in a unique and exciting way. Providing fans of the show a chance for a live casting opportunity will not only encourage users to engage with CBS.com’s online SURVIVOR content, but will also allow them the chance to possibly see one of their own on an upcoming season.”
Fans who visit the Sears-sponsored SURVIVOR Web site (www.cbs.com/sears) will also have access to exclusive SURVIVOR content from the upcoming SURVIVOR: HEROES VS. VILLAINS season. Additionally, the Web site will include an “All-Star Moments” video page, polls, embeddable widgets, and the popular “Life at Ponderosa” series featuring a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of the castaways right after they have been voted off the show.
Twenty former castaways will return to compete on SURVIVOR: HEROES VS. VILLAINS, when the 20th installment of the Emmy award-winning series premieres with a special two-hour episode, Thursday, Feb. 11 (8:00 to 10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. SURVIVOR: HEROES VS. VILLAINS will reunite some of the most memorable, heroic and controversial castaways from previous SURVIVOR seasons. SURVIVOR: HEROES VS. VILLAINS is hosted by Emmy award-winning host Jeff Probst and produced by SEG, Inc. Mark Burnett is executive producer and David Burris and Leisa Francis are co-executive producers.
The 20th installment of the groundbreaking series coincides with its 10-year anniversary. For more detailed information on previous seasons, please go to www.cbs.com/survivor.
*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and Washington, D.C., 18 (or age of majority) and older. Void where prohibited. Entry Period ends at 11:59:59 PM/PT on Feb. 21, 2010. Contest ends at 11:59:00 PM/PT on March 5, 2010. For Official Rules and more information about the contest, go to: http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor/casting_call/.
