Rob Cesternino announces his new book which will release on Michele Fitzgerald's birthday May 5, 2026. It can be pre-ordered at http://robhasabook.com #survivor #survivor49 @RobHasApodcast
-a@robcesternino
Source: https://x.com/anthonyd46/status/1987306152640585907
I wonder whose book will sell more copies: Jeff's or Rob's?
On 11/10/2025 3:08 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
Rob Cesternino announces his new book which will release on Michele
Fitzgerald's birthday May 5, 2026. It can be pre-ordered at http://
robhasabook.com #survivor #survivor49 @RobHasApodcast
-a-a@robcesternino
Source: https://x.com/anthonyd46/status/1987306152640585907
I wonder whose book will sell more copies: Jeff's or Rob's?
As I read your post, I thought you were going to say - which book will
sell more copies, Robs or Fishbach's.-a Stephan has been plugging his own book on every episode of the Know-it-Alls podcast he and Rob do after
every Survivor episode.-a I suppose we will now have to endure both of
them plugging their own books on every episode going forward.
Speaking of which, I have noticed a significant increase in the number
of ads running on Rob's podcasts, including Rob himself delivering many commercials for various outside products.-a I don't know if this is a
sign that Rob's income level is suffering and he is trying to grab more advertising money, or if it's the opposite - Rob is doing better than
ever and is just adding onto the pile.-a I wonder if Fishbach has to pay
him a fee to plug his book every episode?
And for the record, Jeff is the ultimate Survivor insider, and if he's really going to tell a true inside story of the show, it could be theBut that won't be the case with Jeff's book coming out in February. He's already said that the book will be just photos. Basically a Survivor
most detail we have received since Mark Burnett's original book on the subject 20+ years ago.
On 11/10/2025 8:09 AM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 3:08 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
Rob Cesternino announces his new book which will release on Michele
Fitzgerald's birthday May 5, 2026. It can be pre-ordered at http://
robhasabook.com #survivor #survivor49 @RobHasApodcast
-a-a@robcesternino
Source: https://x.com/anthonyd46/status/1987306152640585907
I wonder whose book will sell more copies: Jeff's or Rob's?
As I read your post, I thought you were going to say - which book will
sell more copies, Robs or Fishbach's.-a Stephan has been plugging his
own book on every episode of the Know-it-Alls podcast he and Rob do
after every Survivor episode.-a I suppose we will now have to endure
both of them plugging their own books on every episode going forward.
Fifty seasons of a show is pretty damn iconic so we'll probably see more books coming out.
Speaking of which, I have noticed a significant increase in the number
of ads running on Rob's podcasts, including Rob himself delivering
many commercials for various outside products.-a I don't know if this
is a sign that Rob's income level is suffering and he is trying to
grab more advertising money, or if it's the opposite - Rob is doing
better than ever and is just adding onto the pile.-a I wonder if
Fishbach has to pay him a fee to plug his book every episode?
I would hope Fishbach gets a free plug. It's really hard to say what
more ads could mean. I know a lot of YouTubers are pissed at Google for manipulating the algorithm and allegedly hurting their revenue streams.
Have podcast platforms done the same? You also have to factor in that Survivor's ratings have been great over the last four or five seasons so that could mean more people listening/watching Rob's content. I would
say Rob's cashing in but it's hard to say given how many income streams
he has. Also, how much does he pay his people who host shows he's not
part of?
And for the record, Jeff is the ultimate Survivor insider, and if he'sBut that won't be the case with Jeff's book coming out in February. He's already said that the book will be just photos. Basically a Survivor
really going to tell a true inside story of the show, it could be the
most detail we have received since Mark Burnett's original book on the
subject 20+ years ago.
coffee table book. Jeff might be the ultimate insider, but would we ever
get the truth out of him. I think our best bet would be if Dalton wrote
a book. He's been covering the show forever, has written some long
stories about key events based on interviews from the people who were
there, and I think he would get Jeff's blessing along with CBS, etc. I
also think past players would be more willing to talk to Dalton than
Jeff if they had beefs with Jeff or the show in general.
On 11/10/2025 4:48 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 8:09 AM, Rick wrote:Agree.-a 50 seasons is pretty rarefied air for US TV.-a That puts it up in the league of Meet the Press, soap operas like General Hospital and Days
On 11/10/2025 3:08 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
Rob Cesternino announces his new book which will release on Michele
Fitzgerald's birthday May 5, 2026. It can be pre-ordered at http://
robhasabook.com #survivor #survivor49 @RobHasApodcast
-a-a@robcesternino
Source: https://x.com/anthonyd46/status/1987306152640585907
I wonder whose book will sell more copies: Jeff's or Rob's?
As I read your post, I thought you were going to say - which book
will sell more copies, Robs or Fishbach's.-a Stephan has been plugging
his own book on every episode of the Know-it-Alls podcast he and Rob
do after every Survivor episode.-a I suppose we will now have to
endure both of them plugging their own books on every episode going
forward.
Fifty seasons of a show is pretty damn iconic so we'll probably see
more books coming out.
of Our Lives, Sesame Street, SNL and not a whole lot else.-a Doing two seasons a year definitely helps run the count up.
Speaking of which, I have noticed a significant increase in the
number of ads running on Rob's podcasts, including Rob himself
delivering many commercials for various outside products.-a I don't
know if this is a sign that Rob's income level is suffering and he is
trying to grab more advertising money, or if it's the opposite - Rob
is doing better than ever and is just adding onto the pile.-a I wonder
if Fishbach has to pay him a fee to plug his book every episode?
I would hope Fishbach gets a free plug. It's really hard to say what
more ads could mean. I know a lot of YouTubers are pissed at Google
for manipulating the algorithm and allegedly hurting their revenue
streams. Have podcast platforms done the same? You also have to factor
in that Survivor's ratings have been great over the last four or five
seasons so that could mean more people listening/watching Rob's
content. I would say Rob's cashing in but it's hard to say given how
many income streams he has. Also, how much does he pay his people who
host shows he's not part of?
I've wondered about that but not much has really been written about it.
All I can say is I'm pretty sure all other RHAP hosts have full-time
jobs, and I really don't think he has a staff of full-time employees or anything close.-a I can also say that it is clear his biggest potential income stream nowadays probably comes from listeners who sign up for his Patreon.-a The income he can receive through Patreon probably exceeds You Tube income or the income he gets from the commercials he does.-a But I
also think he is at a point now with the show that he can increase the number of commercials and most people won't mind.-a For my part, I always download his podcasts and space past any commercials.-a I just notice I
am doing a lot more of that than I ever did before.
And for the record, Jeff is the ultimate Survivor insider, and ifBut that won't be the case with Jeff's book coming out in February.
he's really going to tell a true inside story of the show, it could
be the most detail we have received since Mark Burnett's original
book on the subject 20+ years ago.
He's already said that the book will be just photos. Basically a
Survivor coffee table book. Jeff might be the ultimate insider, but
would we ever get the truth out of him. I think our best bet would be
if Dalton wrote a book. He's been covering the show forever, has
written some long stories about key events based on interviews from
the people who were there, and I think he would get Jeff's blessing
along with CBS, etc. I also think past players would be more willing
to talk to Dalton than Jeff if they had beefs with Jeff or the show in
general.
Right, but I think Rob has access to as much, if not more information
that Dalton based on the fact that he actually played twice and
interviews more people on average than Dalton does. Dalton definitely
gets a lot of access and has been embedded once or twice as a season was filmed, but nothing can take the place of actually playing the game for real.-a Also, I'm not sure if Dalton's editors would really want him to write a book on the subject unless he arranged to have it published
through EW and their website.
I will say Dalton, as a professional writer, would probably write a
better book if he has access to all the same information.-a Course there
is probably some likelihood Rob will work with a ghost writer.
On 11/10/2025 3:08 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
Rob Cesternino announces his new book which will release on Michele
Fitzgerald's birthday May 5, 2026. It can be pre-ordered at http://
robhasabook.com #survivor #survivor49 @RobHasApodcast
-a-a@robcesternino
Source: https://x.com/anthonyd46/status/1987306152640585907
I wonder whose book will sell more copies: Jeff's or Rob's?
As I read your post, I thought you were going to say - which book will
sell more copies, Robs or Fishbach's.-a Stephan has been plugging his own book on every episode of the Know-it-Alls podcast he and Rob do after
every Survivor episode.-a I suppose we will now have to endure both of
them plugging their own books on every episode going forward.
On 11/10/2025 3:36 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 4:48 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 8:09 AM, Rick wrote:Agree.-a 50 seasons is pretty rarefied air for US TV.-a That puts it up
On 11/10/2025 3:08 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
Rob Cesternino announces his new book which will release on Michele >>>>> Fitzgerald's birthday May 5, 2026. It can be pre-ordered at http:// >>>>> robhasabook.com #survivor #survivor49 @RobHasApodcast
-a-a@robcesternino
Source: https://x.com/anthonyd46/status/1987306152640585907
I wonder whose book will sell more copies: Jeff's or Rob's?
As I read your post, I thought you were going to say - which book
will sell more copies, Robs or Fishbach's.-a Stephan has been
plugging his own book on every episode of the Know-it-Alls podcast
he and Rob do after every Survivor episode.-a I suppose we will now
have to endure both of them plugging their own books on every
episode going forward.
Fifty seasons of a show is pretty damn iconic so we'll probably see
more books coming out.
in the league of Meet the Press, soap operas like General Hospital and
Days of Our Lives, Sesame Street, SNL and not a whole lot else.-a Doing
two seasons a year definitely helps run the count up.
Of the current primetime shows airing, what else has been around for as
long as Survivor other than 60 Minutes and The Simpsons? BB has been
around for essentially the same time, but other than that nothing comes close as far as I know. Survivor getting longer episodes after 20+ years
is also crazy.
Speaking of which, I have noticed a significant increase in theI would hope Fishbach gets a free plug. It's really hard to say what
number of ads running on Rob's podcasts, including Rob himself
delivering many commercials for various outside products.-a I don't
know if this is a sign that Rob's income level is suffering and he
is trying to grab more advertising money, or if it's the opposite -
Rob is doing better than ever and is just adding onto the pile.-a I
wonder if Fishbach has to pay him a fee to plug his book every episode? >>>
more ads could mean. I know a lot of YouTubers are pissed at Google
for manipulating the algorithm and allegedly hurting their revenue
streams. Have podcast platforms done the same? You also have to
factor in that Survivor's ratings have been great over the last four
or five seasons so that could mean more people listening/watching
Rob's content. I would say Rob's cashing in but it's hard to say
given how many income streams he has. Also, how much does he pay his
people who host shows he's not part of?
I've wondered about that but not much has really been written about
it. All I can say is I'm pretty sure all other RHAP hosts have
full-time jobs, and I really don't think he has a staff of full-time
employees or anything close.-a I can also say that it is clear his
biggest potential income stream nowadays probably comes from listeners
who sign up for his Patreon.-a The income he can receive through
Patreon probably exceeds You Tube income or the income he gets from
the commercials he does.-a But I also think he is at a point now with
the show that he can increase the number of commercials and most
people won't mind.-a For my part, I always download his podcasts and
space past any commercials.-a I just notice I am doing a lot more of
that than I ever did before.
He would need to have a ton of Patreon supporters to surpass his YouTube income, especially if he's running more commercials.
For BB, Rob must have some full-time people for at least part of the
year. Taran Armstrong covers the live feeds and does deep interviews
that can go on for hours. There's no way he can do that and another job
at the same time. Listening to players rewrite history deserves compensation.
And for the record, Jeff is the ultimate Survivor insider, and ifBut that won't be the case with Jeff's book coming out in February.
he's really going to tell a true inside story of the show, it could
be the most detail we have received since Mark Burnett's original
book on the subject 20+ years ago.
He's already said that the book will be just photos. Basically a
Survivor coffee table book. Jeff might be the ultimate insider, but
would we ever get the truth out of him. I think our best bet would be
if Dalton wrote a book. He's been covering the show forever, has
written some long stories about key events based on interviews from
the people who were there, and I think he would get Jeff's blessing
along with CBS, etc. I also think past players would be more willing
to talk to Dalton than Jeff if they had beefs with Jeff or the show
in general.
Right, but I think Rob has access to as much, if not more information
that Dalton based on the fact that he actually played twice and
interviews more people on average than Dalton does. Dalton definitely
gets a lot of access and has been embedded once or twice as a season
was filmed, but nothing can take the place of actually playing the
game for real.-a Also, I'm not sure if Dalton's editors would really
want him to write a book on the subject unless he arranged to have it
published through EW and their website.
Dalton, Mike Bloom, etc. have been going out to every season for ages. Dalton is very familiar with the game atmosphere. Yes, Rob has the game experience, but does he have the network and show contacts that Dalton has?
I will say Dalton, as a professional writer, would probably write a
better book if he has access to all the same information.-a Course
there is probably some likelihood Rob will work with a ghost writer.
Rob could write with Mike Bloom who is very knowledgeable about
Survivor. More than likely this is what would happen. Word that such a
book is being considered would get out and Boston Rob would say he wants
to be part of the project. Jeff would jump for joy and then ask Mike
White to help them with the project. Publishers would go for well-known names over people who know more and would address the issues of most interest to fans.
On 11/10/2025 6:46 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 3:36 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 4:48 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 8:09 AM, Rick wrote:Agree.-a 50 seasons is pretty rarefied air for US TV.-a That puts it up >>> in the league of Meet the Press, soap operas like General Hospital
On 11/10/2025 3:08 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
Rob Cesternino announces his new book which will release on
Michele Fitzgerald's birthday May 5, 2026. It can be pre-ordered
at http:// robhasabook.com #survivor #survivor49 @RobHasApodcast
-a-a@robcesternino
Source: https://x.com/anthonyd46/status/1987306152640585907
I wonder whose book will sell more copies: Jeff's or Rob's?
As I read your post, I thought you were going to say - which book
will sell more copies, Robs or Fishbach's.-a Stephan has been
plugging his own book on every episode of the Know-it-Alls podcast
he and Rob do after every Survivor episode.-a I suppose we will now >>>>> have to endure both of them plugging their own books on every
episode going forward.
Fifty seasons of a show is pretty damn iconic so we'll probably see
more books coming out.
and Days of Our Lives, Sesame Street, SNL and not a whole lot else.
Doing two seasons a year definitely helps run the count up.
Of the current primetime shows airing, what else has been around for
as long as Survivor other than 60 Minutes and The Simpsons? BB has
been around for essentially the same time, but other than that nothing
comes close as far as I know. Survivor getting longer episodes after
20+ years is also crazy.
I believe Law and Order SVU has been on the air continuously longer than Survivor.
BB did come on slightly after Survivor, but it's worth noting that among reality shows, The Real World was on almost a decade before Survivor and
in many ways led the way for reality shows featuring real-life people
living together in unscripted situations.-a But Real World ended just
before the pandemic.
Speaking of which, I have noticed a significant increase in the
number of ads running on Rob's podcasts, including Rob himself
delivering many commercials for various outside products.-a I don't >>>>> know if this is a sign that Rob's income level is suffering and he
is trying to grab more advertising money, or if it's the opposite - >>>>> Rob is doing better than ever and is just adding onto the pile.-a I >>>>> wonder if Fishbach has to pay him a fee to plug his book every
episode?
I would hope Fishbach gets a free plug. It's really hard to say what
more ads could mean. I know a lot of YouTubers are pissed at Google
for manipulating the algorithm and allegedly hurting their revenue
streams. Have podcast platforms done the same? You also have to
factor in that Survivor's ratings have been great over the last four
or five seasons so that could mean more people listening/watching
Rob's content. I would say Rob's cashing in but it's hard to say
given how many income streams he has. Also, how much does he pay his
people who host shows he's not part of?
I've wondered about that but not much has really been written about
it. All I can say is I'm pretty sure all other RHAP hosts have full-
time jobs, and I really don't think he has a staff of full-time
employees or anything close.-a I can also say that it is clear his
biggest potential income stream nowadays probably comes from
listeners who sign up for his Patreon.-a The income he can receive
through Patreon probably exceeds You Tube income or the income he
gets from the commercials he does.-a But I also think he is at a point
now with the show that he can increase the number of commercials and
most people won't mind.-a For my part, I always download his podcasts
and space past any commercials.-a I just notice I am doing a lot more
of that than I ever did before.
He would need to have a ton of Patreon supporters to surpass his
YouTube income, especially if he's running more commercials.
For BB, Rob must have some full-time people for at least part of the
year. Taran Armstrong covers the live feeds and does deep interviews
that can go on for hours. There's no way he can do that and another
job at the same time. Listening to players rewrite history deserves
compensation.
And for the record, Jeff is the ultimate Survivor insider, and ifBut that won't be the case with Jeff's book coming out in February.
he's really going to tell a true inside story of the show, it could >>>>> be the most detail we have received since Mark Burnett's original
book on the subject 20+ years ago.
He's already said that the book will be just photos. Basically a
Survivor coffee table book. Jeff might be the ultimate insider, but
would we ever get the truth out of him. I think our best bet would
be if Dalton wrote a book. He's been covering the show forever, has
written some long stories about key events based on interviews from
the people who were there, and I think he would get Jeff's blessing
along with CBS, etc. I also think past players would be more willing
to talk to Dalton than Jeff if they had beefs with Jeff or the show
in general.
Right, but I think Rob has access to as much, if not more information
that Dalton based on the fact that he actually played twice and
interviews more people on average than Dalton does. Dalton definitely
gets a lot of access and has been embedded once or twice as a season
was filmed, but nothing can take the place of actually playing the
game for real.-a Also, I'm not sure if Dalton's editors would really
want him to write a book on the subject unless he arranged to have it
published through EW and their website.
Dalton, Mike Bloom, etc. have been going out to every season for ages.
Dalton is very familiar with the game atmosphere. Yes, Rob has the
game experience, but does he have the network and show contacts that
Dalton has?
No, but I think in total Rob has probably done more deep-dive,
analytical type interviews of Survivor contestants over the years than anyone.-a Dalton has done more interviews overall, but they are often
more in the form of exit interviews and pre-season fluff type pieces.
I'm pretty sure nobody has done as many long-form interviews as Rob.
And Dalton and Mike have indeed been onsite a lot during the new era,
but I don't recall them doing that much in what I guess we would call
the old era.
And as talented as Mike Bloom is, keep in mind he was only around 10
years old when Survivor first aired.-a So much of his knowledge of the
early seasons is actually pretty thin.
Having said all that, Dalton is clearly a better and more accomplished writer than either of the other two, and he has worked as a professional writer for probably most of his adult life.-a If he had permission to
write a comprehensive history of the show, I'm sure he would do an
excellent job.-a I'm just not sure his bosses at EW would let him do it.
I will say Dalton, as a professional writer, would probably write a
better book if he has access to all the same information.-a Course
there is probably some likelihood Rob will work with a ghost writer.
Rob could write with Mike Bloom who is very knowledgeable about
Survivor. More than likely this is what would happen. Word that such a
book is being considered would get out and Boston Rob would say he
wants to be part of the project. Jeff would jump for joy and then ask
Mike White to help them with the project. Publishers would go for
well-known names over people who know more and would address the
issues of most interest to fans.
I don't think that will happen.-a Survivor is a popular, high-rated show, but the number of viewers that would actually embrace an analytical book about the show's history is probably a small fraction of the viewership.
-aVery few books about TV shows sell all that many copies, and offhand I can't think of a major best seller that was devoted to a reality show.
More to the point, maybe, is that book buying in general has declined significantly in the last several years due to the ready availability of product online.
On 11/10/2025 6:30 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:46 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 3:36 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 4:48 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 8:09 AM, Rick wrote:Agree.-a 50 seasons is pretty rarefied air for US TV.-a That puts it
On 11/10/2025 3:08 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
Rob Cesternino announces his new book which will release on
Michele Fitzgerald's birthday May 5, 2026. It can be pre-ordered >>>>>>> at http:// robhasabook.com #survivor #survivor49 @RobHasApodcast >>>>>>> -a-a@robcesternino
Source: https://x.com/anthonyd46/status/1987306152640585907
I wonder whose book will sell more copies: Jeff's or Rob's?
As I read your post, I thought you were going to say - which book >>>>>> will sell more copies, Robs or Fishbach's.-a Stephan has been
plugging his own book on every episode of the Know-it-Alls podcast >>>>>> he and Rob do after every Survivor episode.-a I suppose we will now >>>>>> have to endure both of them plugging their own books on every
episode going forward.
Fifty seasons of a show is pretty damn iconic so we'll probably see >>>>> more books coming out.
up in the league of Meet the Press, soap operas like General
Hospital and Days of Our Lives, Sesame Street, SNL and not a whole
lot else. Doing two seasons a year definitely helps run the count up.
Of the current primetime shows airing, what else has been around for
as long as Survivor other than 60 Minutes and The Simpsons? BB has
been around for essentially the same time, but other than that
nothing comes close as far as I know. Survivor getting longer
episodes after 20+ years is also crazy.
I believe Law and Order SVU has been on the air continuously longer
than Survivor.
I had no idea they're still making that show. A quick search shows it started in 1999 which just edges out Survivor.
BB did come on slightly after Survivor, but it's worth noting that
among reality shows, The Real World was on almost a decade before
Survivor and in many ways led the way for reality shows featuring
real-life people living together in unscripted situations.-a But Real
World ended just before the pandemic.
1992rCo2017 according to Wikipedia.
Speaking of which, I have noticed a significant increase in the
number of ads running on Rob's podcasts, including Rob himself
delivering many commercials for various outside products.-a I don't >>>>>> know if this is a sign that Rob's income level is suffering and he >>>>>> is trying to grab more advertising money, or if it's the opposite >>>>>> - Rob is doing better than ever and is just adding onto the pile. >>>>>> I wonder if Fishbach has to pay him a fee to plug his book every
episode?
I would hope Fishbach gets a free plug. It's really hard to say
what more ads could mean. I know a lot of YouTubers are pissed at
Google for manipulating the algorithm and allegedly hurting their
revenue streams. Have podcast platforms done the same? You also
have to factor in that Survivor's ratings have been great over the
last four or five seasons so that could mean more people
listening/watching Rob's content. I would say Rob's cashing in but
it's hard to say given how many income streams he has. Also, how
much does he pay his people who host shows he's not part of?
I've wondered about that but not much has really been written about
it. All I can say is I'm pretty sure all other RHAP hosts have full-
time jobs, and I really don't think he has a staff of full-time
employees or anything close.-a I can also say that it is clear his
biggest potential income stream nowadays probably comes from
listeners who sign up for his Patreon.-a The income he can receive
through Patreon probably exceeds You Tube income or the income he
gets from the commercials he does.-a But I also think he is at a
point now with the show that he can increase the number of
commercials and most people won't mind.-a For my part, I always
download his podcasts and space past any commercials.-a I just notice >>>> I am doing a lot more of that than I ever did before.
He would need to have a ton of Patreon supporters to surpass his
YouTube income, especially if he's running more commercials.
For BB, Rob must have some full-time people for at least part of the
year. Taran Armstrong covers the live feeds and does deep interviews
that can go on for hours. There's no way he can do that and another
job at the same time. Listening to players rewrite history deserves
compensation.
And for the record, Jeff is the ultimate Survivor insider, and if >>>>>> he's really going to tell a true inside story of the show, itBut that won't be the case with Jeff's book coming out in February. >>>>> He's already said that the book will be just photos. Basically a
could be the most detail we have received since Mark Burnett's
original book on the subject 20+ years ago.
Survivor coffee table book. Jeff might be the ultimate insider, but >>>>> would we ever get the truth out of him. I think our best bet would
be if Dalton wrote a book. He's been covering the show forever, has >>>>> written some long stories about key events based on interviews from >>>>> the people who were there, and I think he would get Jeff's blessing >>>>> along with CBS, etc. I also think past players would be more
willing to talk to Dalton than Jeff if they had beefs with Jeff or
the show in general.
Right, but I think Rob has access to as much, if not more
information that Dalton based on the fact that he actually played
twice and interviews more people on average than Dalton does. Dalton
definitely gets a lot of access and has been embedded once or twice
as a season was filmed, but nothing can take the place of actually
playing the game for real.-a Also, I'm not sure if Dalton's editors
would really want him to write a book on the subject unless he
arranged to have it published through EW and their website.
Dalton, Mike Bloom, etc. have been going out to every season for
ages. Dalton is very familiar with the game atmosphere. Yes, Rob has
the game experience, but does he have the network and show contacts
that Dalton has?
No, but I think in total Rob has probably done more deep-dive,
analytical type interviews of Survivor contestants over the years than
anyone.-a Dalton has done more interviews overall, but they are often
more in the form of exit interviews and pre-season fluff type pieces.
I'm pretty sure nobody has done as many long-form interviews as Rob.
There's no question Rob's done more deep dive interviews than anyone.
His RHAP empire is built around his Survivor coverage. Dalton has done
deep dive essays on key topics and events which I think lend themselves
more to a book than deep dives with players.
The more I think about this the more obvious it becomes that we need one book that focuses on the game from a player standpoint, and one from a production and business aspect. The latter would cover topics such as
who decides when tribe shuffles will happen, how ties will be broken,
what happens if Jeff goes down during a season, etc.
And Dalton and Mike have indeed been onsite a lot during the new era,
but I don't recall them doing that much in what I guess we would call
the old era.
And as talented as Mike Bloom is, keep in mind he was only around 10
years old when Survivor first aired.-a So much of his knowledge of the
early seasons is actually pretty thin.
I thought he was older than that.
Having said all that, Dalton is clearly a better and more accomplished
writer than either of the other two, and he has worked as a
professional writer for probably most of his adult life.-a If he had
permission to write a comprehensive history of the show, I'm sure he
would do an excellent job.-a I'm just not sure his bosses at EW would
let him do it.
He's covered Survivor since Day 1 so he probably knows the show better
than anyone other than maybe Jeff.
I can't see his bosses not letting him write a book on Survivor.
I will say Dalton, as a professional writer, would probably write a
better book if he has access to all the same information.-a Course
there is probably some likelihood Rob will work with a ghost writer.
Rob could write with Mike Bloom who is very knowledgeable about
Survivor. More than likely this is what would happen. Word that such
a book is being considered would get out and Boston Rob would say he
wants to be part of the project. Jeff would jump for joy and then ask
Mike White to help them with the project. Publishers would go for
well-known names over people who know more and would address the
issues of most interest to fans.
I don't think that will happen.-a Survivor is a popular, high-rated
show, but the number of viewers that would actually embrace an
analytical book about the show's history is probably a small fraction
of the viewership. -a-aVery few books about TV shows sell all that many
copies, and offhand I can't think of a major best seller that was
devoted to a reality show. More to the point, maybe, is that book
buying in general has declined significantly in the last several years
due to the ready availability of product online.
Costs to publish books are also way down. How is Fishbach's book
selling? If Rob sells 10K copies of his book I think it will be a huge success for him.
On 11/10/2025 10:02 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:30 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:46 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 3:36 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 4:48 PM, Brian Smith wrote:Of the current primetime shows airing, what else has been around for
On 11/10/2025 8:09 AM, Rick wrote:Agree.-a 50 seasons is pretty rarefied air for US TV.-a That puts it >>>>> up in the league of Meet the Press, soap operas like General
On 11/10/2025 3:08 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
Rob Cesternino announces his new book which will release on
Michele Fitzgerald's birthday May 5, 2026. It can be pre-ordered >>>>>>>> at http:// robhasabook.com #survivor #survivor49 @RobHasApodcast >>>>>>>> -a-a@robcesternino
Source: https://x.com/anthonyd46/status/1987306152640585907
I wonder whose book will sell more copies: Jeff's or Rob's?
As I read your post, I thought you were going to say - which book >>>>>>> will sell more copies, Robs or Fishbach's.-a Stephan has been
plugging his own book on every episode of the Know-it-Alls
podcast he and Rob do after every Survivor episode.-a I suppose we >>>>>>> will now have to endure both of them plugging their own books on >>>>>>> every episode going forward.
Fifty seasons of a show is pretty damn iconic so we'll probably
see more books coming out.
Hospital and Days of Our Lives, Sesame Street, SNL and not a whole
lot else. Doing two seasons a year definitely helps run the count up. >>>>
as long as Survivor other than 60 Minutes and The Simpsons? BB has
been around for essentially the same time, but other than that
nothing comes close as far as I know. Survivor getting longer
episodes after 20+ years is also crazy.
I believe Law and Order SVU has been on the air continuously longer
than Survivor.
I had no idea they're still making that show. A quick search shows it
started in 1999 which just edges out Survivor.
And although I actually like Mariska Hargitay, who was of course the daughter of Jayne Mansfield, I think I can say I have probably never
watched a single episode of that show.
BB did come on slightly after Survivor, but it's worth noting that
among reality shows, The Real World was on almost a decade before
Survivor and in many ways led the way for reality shows featuring
real-life people living together in unscripted situations.-a But Real
World ended just before the pandemic.
1992rCo2017 according to Wikipedia.
No, they actually did one final season in Atlanta in 2019 which ended
just a few months before the pandemic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Real_World:_Atlanta
Speaking of which, I have noticed a significant increase in the >>>>>>> number of ads running on Rob's podcasts, including Rob himself
delivering many commercials for various outside products.-a I
don't know if this is a sign that Rob's income level is suffering >>>>>>> and he is trying to grab more advertising money, or if it's the >>>>>>> opposite - Rob is doing better than ever and is just adding onto >>>>>>> the pile. I wonder if Fishbach has to pay him a fee to plug his >>>>>>> book every episode?
I would hope Fishbach gets a free plug. It's really hard to say
what more ads could mean. I know a lot of YouTubers are pissed at >>>>>> Google for manipulating the algorithm and allegedly hurting their >>>>>> revenue streams. Have podcast platforms done the same? You also
have to factor in that Survivor's ratings have been great over the >>>>>> last four or five seasons so that could mean more people
listening/watching Rob's content. I would say Rob's cashing in but >>>>>> it's hard to say given how many income streams he has. Also, how
much does he pay his people who host shows he's not part of?
I've wondered about that but not much has really been written about >>>>> it. All I can say is I'm pretty sure all other RHAP hosts have
full- time jobs, and I really don't think he has a staff of full-
time employees or anything close.-a I can also say that it is clear >>>>> his biggest potential income stream nowadays probably comes from
listeners who sign up for his Patreon.-a The income he can receive
through Patreon probably exceeds You Tube income or the income he
gets from the commercials he does.-a But I also think he is at a
point now with the show that he can increase the number of
commercials and most people won't mind.-a For my part, I always
download his podcasts and space past any commercials.-a I just
notice I am doing a lot more of that than I ever did before.
He would need to have a ton of Patreon supporters to surpass his
YouTube income, especially if he's running more commercials.
For BB, Rob must have some full-time people for at least part of the
year. Taran Armstrong covers the live feeds and does deep interviews
that can go on for hours. There's no way he can do that and another
job at the same time. Listening to players rewrite history deserves
compensation.
And for the record, Jeff is the ultimate Survivor insider, and if >>>>>>> he's really going to tell a true inside story of the show, itBut that won't be the case with Jeff's book coming out in
could be the most detail we have received since Mark Burnett's
original book on the subject 20+ years ago.
February. He's already said that the book will be just photos.
Basically a Survivor coffee table book. Jeff might be the ultimate >>>>>> insider, but would we ever get the truth out of him. I think our
best bet would be if Dalton wrote a book. He's been covering the
show forever, has written some long stories about key events based >>>>>> on interviews from the people who were there, and I think he would >>>>>> get Jeff's blessing along with CBS, etc. I also think past players >>>>>> would be more willing to talk to Dalton than Jeff if they had
beefs with Jeff or the show in general.
Right, but I think Rob has access to as much, if not more
information that Dalton based on the fact that he actually played
twice and interviews more people on average than Dalton does.
Dalton definitely gets a lot of access and has been embedded once
or twice as a season was filmed, but nothing can take the place of
actually playing the game for real.-a Also, I'm not sure if Dalton's >>>>> editors would really want him to write a book on the subject unless >>>>> he arranged to have it published through EW and their website.
Dalton, Mike Bloom, etc. have been going out to every season for
ages. Dalton is very familiar with the game atmosphere. Yes, Rob has
the game experience, but does he have the network and show contacts
that Dalton has?
No, but I think in total Rob has probably done more deep-dive,
analytical type interviews of Survivor contestants over the years
than anyone.-a Dalton has done more interviews overall, but they are
often more in the form of exit interviews and pre-season fluff type
pieces. I'm pretty sure nobody has done as many long-form interviews
as Rob.
There's no question Rob's done more deep dive interviews than anyone.
His RHAP empire is built around his Survivor coverage. Dalton has done
deep dive essays on key topics and events which I think lend
themselves more to a book than deep dives with players.
The more I think about this the more obvious it becomes that we need
one book that focuses on the game from a player standpoint, and one
from a production and business aspect. The latter would cover topics
such as who decides when tribe shuffles will happen, how ties will be
broken, what happens if Jeff goes down during a season, etc.
And Dalton and Mike have indeed been onsite a lot during the new era,
but I don't recall them doing that much in what I guess we would call
the old era.
And as talented as Mike Bloom is, keep in mind he was only around 10
years old when Survivor first aired.-a So much of his knowledge of the
early seasons is actually pretty thin.
I thought he was older than that.
No, he was only in his mid-20s when he did his first RHAP podcasts.
Having said all that, Dalton is clearly a better and more
accomplished writer than either of the other two, and he has worked
as a professional writer for probably most of his adult life.-a If he
had permission to write a comprehensive history of the show, I'm sure
he would do an excellent job.-a I'm just not sure his bosses at EW
would let him do it.
He's covered Survivor since Day 1 so he probably knows the show better
than anyone other than maybe Jeff.
He probably knows the show better than Jeff.-a Dalton is a TV nerd like
many of us who loves the fine details and trivia of the show.-a Jeff is a
TV producer who is totally focused on the current season he is filming
and putting out an entertaining product.-a I don't think he really cares
a whole lot about show trivia.-a He's likely got staff assistants who
track that sort of stuff for him.
If that's the case then maybe Rob's empire is in trouble. Could that be
As I said, I think they'd let him do it if it's under the EW brand and
is perhaps serialized in the magazine.
I will say Dalton, as a professional writer, would probably write a >>>>> better book if he has access to all the same information.-a Course
there is probably some likelihood Rob will work with a ghost writer.
Rob could write with Mike Bloom who is very knowledgeable about
Survivor. More than likely this is what would happen. Word that such
a book is being considered would get out and Boston Rob would say he
wants to be part of the project. Jeff would jump for joy and then
ask Mike White to help them with the project. Publishers would go
for well-known names over people who know more and would address the
issues of most interest to fans.
I don't think that will happen.-a Survivor is a popular, high-rated
show, but the number of viewers that would actually embrace an
analytical book about the show's history is probably a small fraction
of the viewership. -a-aVery few books about TV shows sell all that many >>> copies, and offhand I can't think of a major best seller that was
devoted to a reality show. More to the point, maybe, is that book
buying in general has declined significantly in the last several
years due to the ready availability of product online.
Costs to publish books are also way down. How is Fishbach's book
selling? If Rob sells 10K copies of his book I think it will be a huge
success for him.
Fishbach's book is in pre-sales.-a Nothing has been announced, but I
would guess his pre-sales orders are under 100.
I seriously doubt Rob can sell 10,000 copies.-a If he can get to a couple thousand, I think he will be doing good.
On 11/10/2025 9:31 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 10:02 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:30 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:46 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 3:36 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 4:48 PM, Brian Smith wrote:Of the current primetime shows airing, what else has been around
On 11/10/2025 8:09 AM, Rick wrote:Agree.-a 50 seasons is pretty rarefied air for US TV.-a That puts it >>>>>> up in the league of Meet the Press, soap operas like General
On 11/10/2025 3:08 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
Rob Cesternino announces his new book which will release on >>>>>>>>> Michele Fitzgerald's birthday May 5, 2026. It can be
pre-ordered at http:// robhasabook.com #survivor #survivor49 >>>>>>>>> @RobHasApodcast
-a-a@robcesternino
Source: https://x.com/anthonyd46/status/1987306152640585907
I wonder whose book will sell more copies: Jeff's or Rob's?
As I read your post, I thought you were going to say - which
book will sell more copies, Robs or Fishbach's.-a Stephan has >>>>>>>> been plugging his own book on every episode of the Know-it-Alls >>>>>>>> podcast he and Rob do after every Survivor episode.-a I suppose >>>>>>>> we will now have to endure both of them plugging their own books >>>>>>>> on every episode going forward.
Fifty seasons of a show is pretty damn iconic so we'll probably >>>>>>> see more books coming out.
Hospital and Days of Our Lives, Sesame Street, SNL and not a whole >>>>>> lot else. Doing two seasons a year definitely helps run the count up. >>>>>
for as long as Survivor other than 60 Minutes and The Simpsons? BB
has been around for essentially the same time, but other than that
nothing comes close as far as I know. Survivor getting longer
episodes after 20+ years is also crazy.
I believe Law and Order SVU has been on the air continuously longer
than Survivor.
I had no idea they're still making that show. A quick search shows it
started in 1999 which just edges out Survivor.
And although I actually like Mariska Hargitay, who was of course the
daughter of Jayne Mansfield, I think I can say I have probably never
watched a single episode of that show.
I recall watching the original sometimes, but I can't remember if I ever watched this particular sequel.
BB did come on slightly after Survivor, but it's worth noting that
among reality shows, The Real World was on almost a decade before
Survivor and in many ways led the way for reality shows featuring
real-life people living together in unscripted situations.-a But Real >>>> World ended just before the pandemic.
1992rCo2017 according to Wikipedia.
No, they actually did one final season in Atlanta in 2019 which ended
just a few months before the pandemic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Real_World:_Atlanta
The article for the series as a whole says 2017. Was the 2019 season
shown on TV?
Speaking of which, I have noticed a significant increase in the >>>>>>>> number of ads running on Rob's podcasts, including Rob himself >>>>>>>> delivering many commercials for various outside products.-a I >>>>>>>> don't know if this is a sign that Rob's income level is
suffering and he is trying to grab more advertising money, or if >>>>>>>> it's the opposite - Rob is doing better than ever and is just >>>>>>>> adding onto the pile. I wonder if Fishbach has to pay him a fee >>>>>>>> to plug his book every episode?
I would hope Fishbach gets a free plug. It's really hard to say >>>>>>> what more ads could mean. I know a lot of YouTubers are pissed at >>>>>>> Google for manipulating the algorithm and allegedly hurting their >>>>>>> revenue streams. Have podcast platforms done the same? You also >>>>>>> have to factor in that Survivor's ratings have been great over
the last four or five seasons so that could mean more people
listening/watching Rob's content. I would say Rob's cashing in
but it's hard to say given how many income streams he has. Also, >>>>>>> how much does he pay his people who host shows he's not part of? >>>>>>>
I've wondered about that but not much has really been written
about it. All I can say is I'm pretty sure all other RHAP hosts
have full- time jobs, and I really don't think he has a staff of
full- time employees or anything close.-a I can also say that it is >>>>>> clear his biggest potential income stream nowadays probably comes >>>>>> from listeners who sign up for his Patreon.-a The income he can
receive through Patreon probably exceeds You Tube income or the
income he gets from the commercials he does.-a But I also think he >>>>>> is at a point now with the show that he can increase the number of >>>>>> commercials and most people won't mind.-a For my part, I always
download his podcasts and space past any commercials.-a I just
notice I am doing a lot more of that than I ever did before.
He would need to have a ton of Patreon supporters to surpass his
YouTube income, especially if he's running more commercials.
For BB, Rob must have some full-time people for at least part of
the year. Taran Armstrong covers the live feeds and does deep
interviews that can go on for hours. There's no way he can do that
and another job at the same time. Listening to players rewrite
history deserves compensation.
And for the record, Jeff is the ultimate Survivor insider, and >>>>>>>> if he's really going to tell a true inside story of the show, it >>>>>>>> could be the most detail we have received since Mark Burnett's >>>>>>>> original book on the subject 20+ years ago.But that won't be the case with Jeff's book coming out in
February. He's already said that the book will be just photos.
Basically a Survivor coffee table book. Jeff might be the
ultimate insider, but would we ever get the truth out of him. I >>>>>>> think our best bet would be if Dalton wrote a book. He's been
covering the show forever, has written some long stories about
key events based on interviews from the people who were there,
and I think he would get Jeff's blessing along with CBS, etc. I >>>>>>> also think past players would be more willing to talk to Dalton >>>>>>> than Jeff if they had beefs with Jeff or the show in general.
Right, but I think Rob has access to as much, if not more
information that Dalton based on the fact that he actually played >>>>>> twice and interviews more people on average than Dalton does.
Dalton definitely gets a lot of access and has been embedded once >>>>>> or twice as a season was filmed, but nothing can take the place of >>>>>> actually playing the game for real.-a Also, I'm not sure if
Dalton's editors would really want him to write a book on the
subject unless he arranged to have it published through EW and
their website.
Dalton, Mike Bloom, etc. have been going out to every season for
ages. Dalton is very familiar with the game atmosphere. Yes, Rob
has the game experience, but does he have the network and show
contacts that Dalton has?
No, but I think in total Rob has probably done more deep-dive,
analytical type interviews of Survivor contestants over the years
than anyone.-a Dalton has done more interviews overall, but they are
often more in the form of exit interviews and pre-season fluff type
pieces. I'm pretty sure nobody has done as many long-form interviews
as Rob.
There's no question Rob's done more deep dive interviews than anyone.
His RHAP empire is built around his Survivor coverage. Dalton has
done deep dive essays on key topics and events which I think lend
themselves more to a book than deep dives with players.
The more I think about this the more obvious it becomes that we need
one book that focuses on the game from a player standpoint, and one
from a production and business aspect. The latter would cover topics
such as who decides when tribe shuffles will happen, how ties will be
broken, what happens if Jeff goes down during a season, etc.
And Dalton and Mike have indeed been onsite a lot during the new
era, but I don't recall them doing that much in what I guess we
would call the old era.
And as talented as Mike Bloom is, keep in mind he was only around 10
years old when Survivor first aired.-a So much of his knowledge of
the early seasons is actually pretty thin.
I thought he was older than that.
No, he was only in his mid-20s when he did his first RHAP podcasts.
Having said all that, Dalton is clearly a better and more
accomplished writer than either of the other two, and he has worked
as a professional writer for probably most of his adult life.-a If he >>>> had permission to write a comprehensive history of the show, I'm
sure he would do an excellent job.-a I'm just not sure his bosses at
EW would let him do it.
He's covered Survivor since Day 1 so he probably knows the show
better than anyone other than maybe Jeff.
He probably knows the show better than Jeff.-a Dalton is a TV nerd like
many of us who loves the fine details and trivia of the show.-a Jeff is
a TV producer who is totally focused on the current season he is
filming and putting out an entertaining product.-a I don't think he
really cares a whole lot about show trivia.-a He's likely got staff
assistants who track that sort of stuff for him.
I think he does care about trivia or at least knows many fans do. What
would worry me about a book from Jeff would be his take on things the
show has done over the years. For example, he loves three-tribe seasons despite the vast majority of fans hating them. He also says that they
listen to fans. If that's the case then why no more two-tribe seasons
and F2s? I don't think Jeff would be truly honest with us.
If that's the case then maybe Rob's empire is in trouble. Could that beI can't see his bosses not letting him write a book on Survivor.
As I said, I think they'd let him do it if it's under the EW brand and
is perhaps serialized in the magazine.
I will say Dalton, as a professional writer, would probably write >>>>>> a better book if he has access to all the same information.
Course there is probably some likelihood Rob will work with a
ghost writer.
Rob could write with Mike Bloom who is very knowledgeable about
Survivor. More than likely this is what would happen. Word that
such a book is being considered would get out and Boston Rob would
say he wants to be part of the project. Jeff would jump for joy and >>>>> then ask Mike White to help them with the project. Publishers would >>>>> go for well-known names over people who know more and would address >>>>> the issues of most interest to fans.
I don't think that will happen.-a Survivor is a popular, high-rated
show, but the number of viewers that would actually embrace an
analytical book about the show's history is probably a small
fraction of the viewership. -a-aVery few books about TV shows sell all >>>> that many copies, and offhand I can't think of a major best seller
that was devoted to a reality show. More to the point, maybe, is
that book buying in general has declined significantly in the last
several years due to the ready availability of product online.
Costs to publish books are also way down. How is Fishbach's book
selling? If Rob sells 10K copies of his book I think it will be a
huge success for him.
Fishbach's book is in pre-sales.-a Nothing has been announced, but I
would guess his pre-sales orders are under 100.
why he did The Traitors 4?
I seriously doubt Rob can sell 10,000 copies.-a If he can get to a
couple thousand, I think he will be doing good.
S50 is a pretty big deal and Rob's Survivor following is probably more
rabid than we think. He managed to get a well-known publisher for the
book so I would think they're expecting more than a few thousand sales.
Lisa will buy a dozen copies for her friends and family, and get
libraries across New Zealand to order copies.
On 11/11/2025 1:04 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 9:31 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 10:02 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:30 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:46 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 3:36 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 4:48 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 8:09 AM, Rick wrote:Agree.-a 50 seasons is pretty rarefied air for US TV.-a That puts >>>>>>> it up in the league of Meet the Press, soap operas like General >>>>>>> Hospital and Days of Our Lives, Sesame Street, SNL and not a
On 11/10/2025 3:08 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
Rob Cesternino announces his new book which will release on >>>>>>>>>> Michele Fitzgerald's birthday May 5, 2026. It can be pre- >>>>>>>>>> ordered at http:// robhasabook.com #survivor #survivor49
@RobHasApodcast
-a-a@robcesternino
Source: https://x.com/anthonyd46/status/1987306152640585907 >>>>>>>>>>
I wonder whose book will sell more copies: Jeff's or Rob's? >>>>>>>>>>
As I read your post, I thought you were going to say - which >>>>>>>>> book will sell more copies, Robs or Fishbach's.-a Stephan has >>>>>>>>> been plugging his own book on every episode of the Know-it-Alls >>>>>>>>> podcast he and Rob do after every Survivor episode.-a I suppose >>>>>>>>> we will now have to endure both of them plugging their own
books on every episode going forward.
Fifty seasons of a show is pretty damn iconic so we'll probably >>>>>>>> see more books coming out.
whole lot else. Doing two seasons a year definitely helps run the >>>>>>> count up.
Of the current primetime shows airing, what else has been around
for as long as Survivor other than 60 Minutes and The Simpsons? BB >>>>>> has been around for essentially the same time, but other than that >>>>>> nothing comes close as far as I know. Survivor getting longer
episodes after 20+ years is also crazy.
I believe Law and Order SVU has been on the air continuously longer >>>>> than Survivor.
I had no idea they're still making that show. A quick search shows
it started in 1999 which just edges out Survivor.
And although I actually like Mariska Hargitay, who was of course the
daughter of Jayne Mansfield, I think I can say I have probably never
watched a single episode of that show.
I recall watching the original sometimes, but I can't remember if I
ever watched this particular sequel.
BB did come on slightly after Survivor, but it's worth noting that
among reality shows, The Real World was on almost a decade before
Survivor and in many ways led the way for reality shows featuring
real-life people living together in unscripted situations.-a But
Real World ended just before the pandemic.
1992rCo2017 according to Wikipedia.
No, they actually did one final season in Atlanta in 2019 which ended
just a few months before the pandemic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Real_World:_Atlanta
The article for the series as a whole says 2017. Was the 2019 season
shown on TV?
That's just an editing mistake in the article.-a When they they did the
2019 season, no one thought to update the article.-a I just made a correction so we'll see if it sticks. Check it again.
He would need to have a ton of Patreon supporters to surpass hisSpeaking of which, I have noticed a significant increase in the >>>>>>>>> number of ads running on Rob's podcasts, including Rob himself >>>>>>>>> delivering many commercials for various outside products.-a I >>>>>>>>> don't know if this is a sign that Rob's income level is
suffering and he is trying to grab more advertising money, or >>>>>>>>> if it's the opposite - Rob is doing better than ever and is >>>>>>>>> just adding onto the pile. I wonder if Fishbach has to pay him >>>>>>>>> a fee to plug his book every episode?
I would hope Fishbach gets a free plug. It's really hard to say >>>>>>>> what more ads could mean. I know a lot of YouTubers are pissed >>>>>>>> at Google for manipulating the algorithm and allegedly hurting >>>>>>>> their revenue streams. Have podcast platforms done the same? You >>>>>>>> also have to factor in that Survivor's ratings have been great >>>>>>>> over the last four or five seasons so that could mean more
people listening/watching Rob's content. I would say Rob's
cashing in but it's hard to say given how many income streams he >>>>>>>> has. Also, how much does he pay his people who host shows he's >>>>>>>> not part of?
I've wondered about that but not much has really been written
about it. All I can say is I'm pretty sure all other RHAP hosts >>>>>>> have full- time jobs, and I really don't think he has a staff of >>>>>>> full- time employees or anything close.-a I can also say that it >>>>>>> is clear his biggest potential income stream nowadays probably
comes from listeners who sign up for his Patreon.-a The income he >>>>>>> can receive through Patreon probably exceeds You Tube income or >>>>>>> the income he gets from the commercials he does.-a But I also
think he is at a point now with the show that he can increase the >>>>>>> number of commercials and most people won't mind.-a For my part, I >>>>>>> always download his podcasts and space past any commercials.-a I >>>>>>> just notice I am doing a lot more of that than I ever did before. >>>>>>
YouTube income, especially if he's running more commercials.
For BB, Rob must have some full-time people for at least part of
the year. Taran Armstrong covers the live feeds and does deep
interviews that can go on for hours. There's no way he can do that >>>>>> and another job at the same time. Listening to players rewrite
history deserves compensation.
And for the record, Jeff is the ultimate Survivor insider, and >>>>>>>>> if he's really going to tell a true inside story of the show, >>>>>>>>> it could be the most detail we have received since MarkBut that won't be the case with Jeff's book coming out in
Burnett's original book on the subject 20+ years ago.
February. He's already said that the book will be just photos. >>>>>>>> Basically a Survivor coffee table book. Jeff might be the
ultimate insider, but would we ever get the truth out of him. I >>>>>>>> think our best bet would be if Dalton wrote a book. He's been >>>>>>>> covering the show forever, has written some long stories about >>>>>>>> key events based on interviews from the people who were there, >>>>>>>> and I think he would get Jeff's blessing along with CBS, etc. I >>>>>>>> also think past players would be more willing to talk to Dalton >>>>>>>> than Jeff if they had beefs with Jeff or the show in general.
Right, but I think Rob has access to as much, if not more
information that Dalton based on the fact that he actually played >>>>>>> twice and interviews more people on average than Dalton does.
Dalton definitely gets a lot of access and has been embedded once >>>>>>> or twice as a season was filmed, but nothing can take the place >>>>>>> of actually playing the game for real.-a Also, I'm not sure if
Dalton's editors would really want him to write a book on the
subject unless he arranged to have it published through EW and
their website.
Dalton, Mike Bloom, etc. have been going out to every season for
ages. Dalton is very familiar with the game atmosphere. Yes, Rob
has the game experience, but does he have the network and show
contacts that Dalton has?
No, but I think in total Rob has probably done more deep-dive,
analytical type interviews of Survivor contestants over the years
than anyone.-a Dalton has done more interviews overall, but they are >>>>> often more in the form of exit interviews and pre-season fluff type >>>>> pieces. I'm pretty sure nobody has done as many long-form
interviews as Rob.
There's no question Rob's done more deep dive interviews than
anyone. His RHAP empire is built around his Survivor coverage.
Dalton has done deep dive essays on key topics and events which I
think lend themselves more to a book than deep dives with players.
The more I think about this the more obvious it becomes that we need
one book that focuses on the game from a player standpoint, and one
from a production and business aspect. The latter would cover topics
such as who decides when tribe shuffles will happen, how ties will
be broken, what happens if Jeff goes down during a season, etc.
And Dalton and Mike have indeed been onsite a lot during the new
era, but I don't recall them doing that much in what I guess we
would call the old era.
And as talented as Mike Bloom is, keep in mind he was only around
10 years old when Survivor first aired.-a So much of his knowledge
of the early seasons is actually pretty thin.
I thought he was older than that.
No, he was only in his mid-20s when he did his first RHAP podcasts.
Having said all that, Dalton is clearly a better and more
accomplished writer than either of the other two, and he has worked >>>>> as a professional writer for probably most of his adult life.-a If
he had permission to write a comprehensive history of the show, I'm >>>>> sure he would do an excellent job.-a I'm just not sure his bosses at >>>>> EW would let him do it.
He's covered Survivor since Day 1 so he probably knows the show
better than anyone other than maybe Jeff.
He probably knows the show better than Jeff.-a Dalton is a TV nerd
like many of us who loves the fine details and trivia of the show.
Jeff is a TV producer who is totally focused on the current season he
is filming and putting out an entertaining product.-a I don't think he
really cares a whole lot about show trivia.-a He's likely got staff
assistants who track that sort of stuff for him.
I think he does care about trivia or at least knows many fans do. What
would worry me about a book from Jeff would be his take on things the
show has done over the years. For example, he loves three-tribe
seasons despite the vast majority of fans hating them. He also says
that they listen to fans. If that's the case then why no more two-
tribe seasons and F2s? I don't think Jeff would be truly honest with us.
Let's be clear about something.-a Jeff doesn't care about hard-core fans
per se - he cares about the millions of casual fans that form the overwhelming majority of the viewing audience.-a I honestly don't know
what 8 million viewers would say if you asked them if they prefer two
vs. three tribes.-a They probably don't care and just want to watch the show.-a Remind me - when they did their fan vote thing for S50, did they
ask about 2 vs. 3 tribes?
-a-a>> I can't see his bosses not letting him write a book on Survivor.
If that's the case then maybe Rob's empire is in trouble. Could that
As I said, I think they'd let him do it if it's under the EW brand
and is perhaps serialized in the magazine.
I will say Dalton, as a professional writer, would probably write >>>>>>> a better book if he has access to all the same information.
Course there is probably some likelihood Rob will work with a
ghost writer.
Rob could write with Mike Bloom who is very knowledgeable about
Survivor. More than likely this is what would happen. Word that
such a book is being considered would get out and Boston Rob would >>>>>> say he wants to be part of the project. Jeff would jump for joy
and then ask Mike White to help them with the project. Publishers >>>>>> would go for well-known names over people who know more and would >>>>>> address the issues of most interest to fans.
I don't think that will happen.-a Survivor is a popular, high-rated >>>>> show, but the number of viewers that would actually embrace an
analytical book about the show's history is probably a small
fraction of the viewership. -a-aVery few books about TV shows sell
all that many copies, and offhand I can't think of a major best
seller that was devoted to a reality show. More to the point,
maybe, is that book buying in general has declined significantly in >>>>> the last several years due to the ready availability of product
online.
Costs to publish books are also way down. How is Fishbach's book
selling? If Rob sells 10K copies of his book I think it will be a
huge success for him.
Fishbach's book is in pre-sales.-a Nothing has been announced, but I
would guess his pre-sales orders are under 100.
be why he did The Traitors 4?
I don't know - there is something going on with Rob and I can't quite
put my finger on it.-a Maybe he's just going through a mid-life crisis or starting to think about his kids' eventual college costs, but he really
does seem to be going after a lot of income sources these days.
On 11/11/2025 7:27 AM, Rick wrote:
On 11/11/2025 1:04 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 9:31 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 10:02 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:30 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:46 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 3:36 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 4:48 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 8:09 AM, Rick wrote:Agree.-a 50 seasons is pretty rarefied air for US TV.-a That puts >>>>>>>> it up in the league of Meet the Press, soap operas like General >>>>>>>> Hospital and Days of Our Lives, Sesame Street, SNL and not a
On 11/10/2025 3:08 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
Rob Cesternino announces his new book which will release on >>>>>>>>>>> Michele Fitzgerald's birthday May 5, 2026. It can be pre- >>>>>>>>>>> ordered at http:// robhasabook.com #survivor #survivor49 >>>>>>>>>>> @RobHasApodcast
-a-a@robcesternino
Source: https://x.com/anthonyd46/status/1987306152640585907 >>>>>>>>>>>
I wonder whose book will sell more copies: Jeff's or Rob's? >>>>>>>>>>>
As I read your post, I thought you were going to say - which >>>>>>>>>> book will sell more copies, Robs or Fishbach's.-a Stephan has >>>>>>>>>> been plugging his own book on every episode of the
Know-it-Alls podcast he and Rob do after every Survivor
episode.-a I suppose we will now have to endure both of them >>>>>>>>>> plugging their own books on every episode going forward.
Fifty seasons of a show is pretty damn iconic so we'll probably >>>>>>>>> see more books coming out.
whole lot else. Doing two seasons a year definitely helps run >>>>>>>> the count up.
Of the current primetime shows airing, what else has been around >>>>>>> for as long as Survivor other than 60 Minutes and The Simpsons? >>>>>>> BB has been around for essentially the same time, but other than >>>>>>> that nothing comes close as far as I know. Survivor getting
longer episodes after 20+ years is also crazy.
I believe Law and Order SVU has been on the air continuously
longer than Survivor.
I had no idea they're still making that show. A quick search shows
it started in 1999 which just edges out Survivor.
And although I actually like Mariska Hargitay, who was of course the
daughter of Jayne Mansfield, I think I can say I have probably never
watched a single episode of that show.
I recall watching the original sometimes, but I can't remember if I
ever watched this particular sequel.
BB did come on slightly after Survivor, but it's worth noting that >>>>>> among reality shows, The Real World was on almost a decade before >>>>>> Survivor and in many ways led the way for reality shows featuring >>>>>> real-life people living together in unscripted situations.-a But
Real World ended just before the pandemic.
1992rCo2017 according to Wikipedia.
No, they actually did one final season in Atlanta in 2019 which
ended just a few months before the pandemic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Real_World:_Atlanta
The article for the series as a whole says 2017. Was the 2019 season
shown on TV?
That's just an editing mistake in the article.-a When they they did the
2019 season, no one thought to update the article.-a I just made a
correction so we'll see if it sticks. Check it again.
I read more of the article last night and it mentioned the 2019 reboot season was on Facebook Watch which I've never heard of before. My point
is that the last season didn't air on MTV or any other TV channel as far
as I can tell.
Speaking of which, I have noticed a significant increase in >>>>>>>>>> the number of ads running on Rob's podcasts, including Rob >>>>>>>>>> himself delivering many commercials for various outside
products.-a I don't know if this is a sign that Rob's income >>>>>>>>>> level is suffering and he is trying to grab more advertising >>>>>>>>>> money, or if it's the opposite - Rob is doing better than ever >>>>>>>>>> and is just adding onto the pile. I wonder if Fishbach has to >>>>>>>>>> pay him a fee to plug his book every episode?
I would hope Fishbach gets a free plug. It's really hard to say >>>>>>>>> what more ads could mean. I know a lot of YouTubers are pissed >>>>>>>>> at Google for manipulating the algorithm and allegedly hurting >>>>>>>>> their revenue streams. Have podcast platforms done the same? >>>>>>>>> You also have to factor in that Survivor's ratings have been >>>>>>>>> great over the last four or five seasons so that could mean >>>>>>>>> more people listening/watching Rob's content. I would say Rob's >>>>>>>>> cashing in but it's hard to say given how many income streams >>>>>>>>> he has. Also, how much does he pay his people who host shows >>>>>>>>> he's not part of?
I've wondered about that but not much has really been written >>>>>>>> about it. All I can say is I'm pretty sure all other RHAP hosts >>>>>>>> have full- time jobs, and I really don't think he has a staff of >>>>>>>> full- time employees or anything close.-a I can also say that it >>>>>>>> is clear his biggest potential income stream nowadays probably >>>>>>>> comes from listeners who sign up for his Patreon.-a The income he >>>>>>>> can receive through Patreon probably exceeds You Tube income or >>>>>>>> the income he gets from the commercials he does.-a But I also >>>>>>>> think he is at a point now with the show that he can increase >>>>>>>> the number of commercials and most people won't mind.-a For my >>>>>>>> part, I always download his podcasts and space past any
commercials.-a I just notice I am doing a lot more of that than I >>>>>>>> ever did before.
He would need to have a ton of Patreon supporters to surpass his >>>>>>> YouTube income, especially if he's running more commercials.
For BB, Rob must have some full-time people for at least part of >>>>>>> the year. Taran Armstrong covers the live feeds and does deep
interviews that can go on for hours. There's no way he can do
that and another job at the same time. Listening to players
rewrite history deserves compensation.
And for the record, Jeff is the ultimate Survivor insider, and >>>>>>>>>> if he's really going to tell a true inside story of the show, >>>>>>>>>> it could be the most detail we have received since MarkBut that won't be the case with Jeff's book coming out in
Burnett's original book on the subject 20+ years ago.
February. He's already said that the book will be just photos. >>>>>>>>> Basically a Survivor coffee table book. Jeff might be the
ultimate insider, but would we ever get the truth out of him. I >>>>>>>>> think our best bet would be if Dalton wrote a book. He's been >>>>>>>>> covering the show forever, has written some long stories about >>>>>>>>> key events based on interviews from the people who were there, >>>>>>>>> and I think he would get Jeff's blessing along with CBS, etc. I >>>>>>>>> also think past players would be more willing to talk to Dalton >>>>>>>>> than Jeff if they had beefs with Jeff or the show in general. >>>>>>>>>
Right, but I think Rob has access to as much, if not more
information that Dalton based on the fact that he actually
played twice and interviews more people on average than Dalton >>>>>>>> does. Dalton definitely gets a lot of access and has been
embedded once or twice as a season was filmed, but nothing can >>>>>>>> take the place of actually playing the game for real.-a Also, I'm >>>>>>>> not sure if Dalton's editors would really want him to write a >>>>>>>> book on the subject unless he arranged to have it published
through EW and their website.
Dalton, Mike Bloom, etc. have been going out to every season for >>>>>>> ages. Dalton is very familiar with the game atmosphere. Yes, Rob >>>>>>> has the game experience, but does he have the network and show
contacts that Dalton has?
No, but I think in total Rob has probably done more deep-dive,
analytical type interviews of Survivor contestants over the years >>>>>> than anyone.-a Dalton has done more interviews overall, but they
are often more in the form of exit interviews and pre-season fluff >>>>>> type pieces. I'm pretty sure nobody has done as many long-form
interviews as Rob.
There's no question Rob's done more deep dive interviews than
anyone. His RHAP empire is built around his Survivor coverage.
Dalton has done deep dive essays on key topics and events which I
think lend themselves more to a book than deep dives with players.
The more I think about this the more obvious it becomes that we
need one book that focuses on the game from a player standpoint,
and one from a production and business aspect. The latter would
cover topics such as who decides when tribe shuffles will happen,
how ties will be broken, what happens if Jeff goes down during a
season, etc.
And Dalton and Mike have indeed been onsite a lot during the new
era, but I don't recall them doing that much in what I guess we
would call the old era.
And as talented as Mike Bloom is, keep in mind he was only around >>>>>> 10 years old when Survivor first aired.-a So much of his knowledge >>>>>> of the early seasons is actually pretty thin.
I thought he was older than that.
No, he was only in his mid-20s when he did his first RHAP podcasts.
Having said all that, Dalton is clearly a better and more
accomplished writer than either of the other two, and he has
worked as a professional writer for probably most of his adult
life.-a If he had permission to write a comprehensive history of
the show, I'm sure he would do an excellent job.-a I'm just not
sure his bosses at EW would let him do it.
He's covered Survivor since Day 1 so he probably knows the show
better than anyone other than maybe Jeff.
He probably knows the show better than Jeff.-a Dalton is a TV nerd
like many of us who loves the fine details and trivia of the show.
Jeff is a TV producer who is totally focused on the current season
he is filming and putting out an entertaining product.-a I don't
think he really cares a whole lot about show trivia.-a He's likely
got staff assistants who track that sort of stuff for him.
I think he does care about trivia or at least knows many fans do.
What would worry me about a book from Jeff would be his take on
things the show has done over the years. For example, he loves
three-tribe seasons despite the vast majority of fans hating them. He
also says that they listen to fans. If that's the case then why no
more two- tribe seasons and F2s? I don't think Jeff would be truly
honest with us.
Let's be clear about something.-a Jeff doesn't care about hard-core
fans per se - he cares about the millions of casual fans that form the
overwhelming majority of the viewing audience.-a I honestly don't know
what 8 million viewers would say if you asked them if they prefer two
vs. three tribes.-a They probably don't care and just want to watch the
show.-a Remind me - when they did their fan vote thing for S50, did
they ask about 2 vs. 3 tribes?
I don't recall seeing a vote on that nor on F3 vs. F2. But I do remember
a vote on tribe colors!
I think most casual fans would prefer two tribes because it's easier to follow. As long the ratings are great, Jeff will just counter with
viewers must be happy with the status quo so why change?
-a-a>> I can't see his bosses not letting him write a book on Survivor. >>>>>
If that's the case then maybe Rob's empire is in trouble. Could that
As I said, I think they'd let him do it if it's under the EW brand
and is perhaps serialized in the magazine.
I will say Dalton, as a professional writer, would probably
write a better book if he has access to all the same
information. Course there is probably some likelihood Rob will >>>>>>>> work with a ghost writer.
Rob could write with Mike Bloom who is very knowledgeable about >>>>>>> Survivor. More than likely this is what would happen. Word that >>>>>>> such a book is being considered would get out and Boston Rob
would say he wants to be part of the project. Jeff would jump for >>>>>>> joy and then ask Mike White to help them with the project.
Publishers would go for well-known names over people who know
more and would address the issues of most interest to fans.
I don't think that will happen.-a Survivor is a popular, high-rated >>>>>> show, but the number of viewers that would actually embrace an
analytical book about the show's history is probably a small
fraction of the viewership. -a-aVery few books about TV shows sell >>>>>> all that many copies, and offhand I can't think of a major best
seller that was devoted to a reality show. More to the point,
maybe, is that book buying in general has declined significantly
in the last several years due to the ready availability of product >>>>>> online.
Costs to publish books are also way down. How is Fishbach's book
selling? If Rob sells 10K copies of his book I think it will be a
huge success for him.
Fishbach's book is in pre-sales.-a Nothing has been announced, but I
would guess his pre-sales orders are under 100.
be why he did The Traitors 4?
I don't know - there is something going on with Rob and I can't quite
put my finger on it.-a Maybe he's just going through a mid-life crisis
or starting to think about his kids' eventual college costs, but he
really does seem to be going after a lot of income sources these days.
College costs could definitely be a factor. Boston Rob seems to be doing
a lot more as well. On the other hand, it could be a case of just
cashing in on easy opportunities. Finding out that Cirie won $250K(?)
for about two weeks of easy work on Traitors seems to have been a
trigger for a number of these people.
On 11/11/2025 6:19 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/11/2025 7:27 AM, Rick wrote:
On 11/11/2025 1:04 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 9:31 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 10:02 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:30 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:46 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 3:36 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 4:48 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 8:09 AM, Rick wrote:Agree.-a 50 seasons is pretty rarefied air for US TV.-a That puts >>>>>>>>> it up in the league of Meet the Press, soap operas like General >>>>>>>>> Hospital and Days of Our Lives, Sesame Street, SNL and not a >>>>>>>>> whole lot else. Doing two seasons a year definitely helps run >>>>>>>>> the count up.
On 11/10/2025 3:08 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
Rob Cesternino announces his new book which will release on >>>>>>>>>>>> Michele Fitzgerald's birthday May 5, 2026. It can be pre- >>>>>>>>>>>> ordered at http:// robhasabook.com #survivor #survivor49 >>>>>>>>>>>> @RobHasApodcast
-a-a@robcesternino
Source: https://x.com/anthonyd46/status/1987306152640585907 >>>>>>>>>>>>
I wonder whose book will sell more copies: Jeff's or Rob's? >>>>>>>>>>>>
As I read your post, I thought you were going to say - which >>>>>>>>>>> book will sell more copies, Robs or Fishbach's.-a Stephan has >>>>>>>>>>> been plugging his own book on every episode of the Know-it- >>>>>>>>>>> Alls podcast he and Rob do after every Survivor episode.-a I >>>>>>>>>>> suppose we will now have to endure both of them plugging >>>>>>>>>>> their own books on every episode going forward.
Fifty seasons of a show is pretty damn iconic so we'll
probably see more books coming out.
Of the current primetime shows airing, what else has been around >>>>>>>> for as long as Survivor other than 60 Minutes and The Simpsons? >>>>>>>> BB has been around for essentially the same time, but other than >>>>>>>> that nothing comes close as far as I know. Survivor getting
longer episodes after 20+ years is also crazy.
I believe Law and Order SVU has been on the air continuously
longer than Survivor.
I had no idea they're still making that show. A quick search shows >>>>>> it started in 1999 which just edges out Survivor.
And although I actually like Mariska Hargitay, who was of course
the daughter of Jayne Mansfield, I think I can say I have probably
never watched a single episode of that show.
I recall watching the original sometimes, but I can't remember if I
ever watched this particular sequel.
BB did come on slightly after Survivor, but it's worth noting
that among reality shows, The Real World was on almost a decade >>>>>>> before Survivor and in many ways led the way for reality shows
featuring real-life people living together in unscripted
situations.-a But Real World ended just before the pandemic.
1992rCo2017 according to Wikipedia.
No, they actually did one final season in Atlanta in 2019 which
ended just a few months before the pandemic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Real_World:_Atlanta
The article for the series as a whole says 2017. Was the 2019 season
shown on TV?
That's just an editing mistake in the article.-a When they they did
the 2019 season, no one thought to update the article.-a I just made a
correction so we'll see if it sticks. Check it again.
I read more of the article last night and it mentioned the 2019 reboot
season was on Facebook Watch which I've never heard of before. My
point is that the last season didn't air on MTV or any other TV
channel as far as I can tell.
That sounds right.-a I stopped watching Real World the same year Survivor started and don't think I ever watched after that.
Survivor (along with BB) really does owe a lot to Real World, even
beyond the base concept of an unscripted show about a group of diverse strangers with different personalities and backgrounds living together.
I believe the concept of on-screen confessionals where players face the camera directly and respond to off-camera prompts by unseen producers
began and was perfected by Real World. I don't recall any show ever
doing that before.-a Oddly enough, RW also originated the idea of cast members voting people out, which they had to do on occasion when a contestant broke rules and particularly when a contestant physically attacked another player.-a It's amazing to realize today that a player
back then could physically hit another player and the producers would
allow the cast to decide what to do with them.-a Today they would be
removed the instant it happened.
Speaking of which, I have noticed a significant increase in >>>>>>>>>>> the number of ads running on Rob's podcasts, including Rob >>>>>>>>>>> himself delivering many commercials for various outside >>>>>>>>>>> products.-a I don't know if this is a sign that Rob's income >>>>>>>>>>> level is suffering and he is trying to grab more advertising >>>>>>>>>>> money, or if it's the opposite - Rob is doing better than >>>>>>>>>>> ever and is just adding onto the pile. I wonder if Fishbach >>>>>>>>>>> has to pay him a fee to plug his book every episode?
I would hope Fishbach gets a free plug. It's really hard to >>>>>>>>>> say what more ads could mean. I know a lot of YouTubers are >>>>>>>>>> pissed at Google for manipulating the algorithm and allegedly >>>>>>>>>> hurting their revenue streams. Have podcast platforms done the >>>>>>>>>> same? You also have to factor in that Survivor's ratings have >>>>>>>>>> been great over the last four or five seasons so that could >>>>>>>>>> mean more people listening/watching Rob's content. I would say >>>>>>>>>> Rob's cashing in but it's hard to say given how many income >>>>>>>>>> streams he has. Also, how much does he pay his people who host >>>>>>>>>> shows he's not part of?
I've wondered about that but not much has really been written >>>>>>>>> about it. All I can say is I'm pretty sure all other RHAP hosts >>>>>>>>> have full- time jobs, and I really don't think he has a staff >>>>>>>>> of full- time employees or anything close.-a I can also say that >>>>>>>>> it is clear his biggest potential income stream nowadays
probably comes from listeners who sign up for his Patreon.-a The >>>>>>>>> income he can receive through Patreon probably exceeds You Tube >>>>>>>>> income or the income he gets from the commercials he does.-a But >>>>>>>>> I also think he is at a point now with the show that he can >>>>>>>>> increase the number of commercials and most people won't mind. >>>>>>>>> For my part, I always download his podcasts and space past any >>>>>>>>> commercials.-a I just notice I am doing a lot more of that than >>>>>>>>> I ever did before.
He would need to have a ton of Patreon supporters to surpass his >>>>>>>> YouTube income, especially if he's running more commercials.
For BB, Rob must have some full-time people for at least part of >>>>>>>> the year. Taran Armstrong covers the live feeds and does deep >>>>>>>> interviews that can go on for hours. There's no way he can do >>>>>>>> that and another job at the same time. Listening to players
rewrite history deserves compensation.
And for the record, Jeff is the ultimate Survivor insider, >>>>>>>>>>> and if he's really going to tell a true inside story of the >>>>>>>>>>> show, it could be the most detail we have received since Mark >>>>>>>>>>> Burnett's original book on the subject 20+ years ago.But that won't be the case with Jeff's book coming out in >>>>>>>>>> February. He's already said that the book will be just photos. >>>>>>>>>> Basically a Survivor coffee table book. Jeff might be the >>>>>>>>>> ultimate insider, but would we ever get the truth out of him. >>>>>>>>>> I think our best bet would be if Dalton wrote a book. He's >>>>>>>>>> been covering the show forever, has written some long stories >>>>>>>>>> about key events based on interviews from the people who were >>>>>>>>>> there, and I think he would get Jeff's blessing along with >>>>>>>>>> CBS, etc. I also think past players would be more willing to >>>>>>>>>> talk to Dalton than Jeff if they had beefs with Jeff or the >>>>>>>>>> show in general.
Right, but I think Rob has access to as much, if not more
information that Dalton based on the fact that he actually
played twice and interviews more people on average than Dalton >>>>>>>>> does. Dalton definitely gets a lot of access and has been
embedded once or twice as a season was filmed, but nothing can >>>>>>>>> take the place of actually playing the game for real.-a Also, >>>>>>>>> I'm not sure if Dalton's editors would really want him to write >>>>>>>>> a book on the subject unless he arranged to have it published >>>>>>>>> through EW and their website.
Dalton, Mike Bloom, etc. have been going out to every season for >>>>>>>> ages. Dalton is very familiar with the game atmosphere. Yes, Rob >>>>>>>> has the game experience, but does he have the network and show >>>>>>>> contacts that Dalton has?
No, but I think in total Rob has probably done more deep-dive,
analytical type interviews of Survivor contestants over the years >>>>>>> than anyone.-a Dalton has done more interviews overall, but they >>>>>>> are often more in the form of exit interviews and pre-season
fluff type pieces. I'm pretty sure nobody has done as many long- >>>>>>> form interviews as Rob.
There's no question Rob's done more deep dive interviews than
anyone. His RHAP empire is built around his Survivor coverage.
Dalton has done deep dive essays on key topics and events which I >>>>>> think lend themselves more to a book than deep dives with players. >>>>>>
The more I think about this the more obvious it becomes that we
need one book that focuses on the game from a player standpoint,
and one from a production and business aspect. The latter would
cover topics such as who decides when tribe shuffles will happen, >>>>>> how ties will be broken, what happens if Jeff goes down during a
season, etc.
And Dalton and Mike have indeed been onsite a lot during the new >>>>>>> era, but I don't recall them doing that much in what I guess we >>>>>>> would call the old era.
And as talented as Mike Bloom is, keep in mind he was only around >>>>>>> 10 years old when Survivor first aired.-a So much of his knowledge >>>>>>> of the early seasons is actually pretty thin.
I thought he was older than that.
No, he was only in his mid-20s when he did his first RHAP podcasts.
Having said all that, Dalton is clearly a better and more
accomplished writer than either of the other two, and he has
worked as a professional writer for probably most of his adult
life.-a If he had permission to write a comprehensive history of >>>>>>> the show, I'm sure he would do an excellent job.-a I'm just not >>>>>>> sure his bosses at EW would let him do it.
He's covered Survivor since Day 1 so he probably knows the show
better than anyone other than maybe Jeff.
He probably knows the show better than Jeff.-a Dalton is a TV nerd
like many of us who loves the fine details and trivia of the show.
Jeff is a TV producer who is totally focused on the current season
he is filming and putting out an entertaining product.-a I don't
think he really cares a whole lot about show trivia.-a He's likely
got staff assistants who track that sort of stuff for him.
I think he does care about trivia or at least knows many fans do.
What would worry me about a book from Jeff would be his take on
things the show has done over the years. For example, he loves
three-tribe seasons despite the vast majority of fans hating them.
He also says that they listen to fans. If that's the case then why
no more two- tribe seasons and F2s? I don't think Jeff would be
truly honest with us.
Let's be clear about something.-a Jeff doesn't care about hard-core
fans per se - he cares about the millions of casual fans that form
the overwhelming majority of the viewing audience.-a I honestly don't
know what 8 million viewers would say if you asked them if they
prefer two vs. three tribes.-a They probably don't care and just want
to watch the show.-a Remind me - when they did their fan vote thing
for S50, did they ask about 2 vs. 3 tribes?
I don't recall seeing a vote on that nor on F3 vs. F2. But I do
remember a vote on tribe colors!
I think most casual fans would prefer two tribes because it's easier
to follow. As long the ratings are great, Jeff will just counter with
viewers must be happy with the status quo so why change?
I actually think the show thinks that two large tribes are difficult to cover properly, especially with a large cast.-a S50 has 24 players and starting with two massive tribes of 12 could be pretty unwieldy and make
it hard to "tell a story".-a It also almost always results in "purple" players that just never get air time.-a Whether most fans agree with
that, I have no idea.
-a-a>> I can't see his bosses not letting him write a book on Survivor. >>>>>>
If that's the case then maybe Rob's empire is in trouble. Could that
As I said, I think they'd let him do it if it's under the EW brand
and is perhaps serialized in the magazine.
I will say Dalton, as a professional writer, would probably >>>>>>>>> write a better book if he has access to all the same
information. Course there is probably some likelihood Rob will >>>>>>>>> work with a ghost writer.
Rob could write with Mike Bloom who is very knowledgeable about >>>>>>>> Survivor. More than likely this is what would happen. Word that >>>>>>>> such a book is being considered would get out and Boston Rob
would say he wants to be part of the project. Jeff would jump >>>>>>>> for joy and then ask Mike White to help them with the project. >>>>>>>> Publishers would go for well-known names over people who know >>>>>>>> more and would address the issues of most interest to fans.
I don't think that will happen.-a Survivor is a popular, high-
rated show, but the number of viewers that would actually embrace >>>>>>> an analytical book about the show's history is probably a small >>>>>>> fraction of the viewership. -a-aVery few books about TV shows sell >>>>>>> all that many copies, and offhand I can't think of a major best >>>>>>> seller that was devoted to a reality show. More to the point,
maybe, is that book buying in general has declined significantly >>>>>>> in the last several years due to the ready availability of
product online.
Costs to publish books are also way down. How is Fishbach's book
selling? If Rob sells 10K copies of his book I think it will be a >>>>>> huge success for him.
Fishbach's book is in pre-sales.-a Nothing has been announced, but I >>>>> would guess his pre-sales orders are under 100.
be why he did The Traitors 4?
I don't know - there is something going on with Rob and I can't quite
put my finger on it.-a Maybe he's just going through a mid-life crisis
or starting to think about his kids' eventual college costs, but he
really does seem to be going after a lot of income sources these days.
College costs could definitely be a factor. Boston Rob seems to be
doing a lot more as well. On the other hand, it could be a case of
just cashing in on easy opportunities. Finding out that Cirie won
$250K(?) for about two weeks of easy work on Traitors seems to have
been a trigger for a number of these people.
Especially when you figure she won barely a third of that in Survivor 16 when she had to live in the wildnerness for 35 plus days.
And not to mention the millions won by David Genat for not having to
work all that hard on DONDI.
On 11/11/2025 5:41 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/11/2025 6:19 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/11/2025 7:27 AM, Rick wrote:
On 11/11/2025 1:04 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 9:31 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 10:02 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:30 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:46 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 3:36 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 4:48 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 8:09 AM, Rick wrote:Agree.-a 50 seasons is pretty rarefied air for US TV.-a That >>>>>>>>>> puts it up in the league of Meet the Press, soap operas like >>>>>>>>>> General Hospital and Days of Our Lives, Sesame Street, SNL and >>>>>>>>>> not a whole lot else. Doing two seasons a year definitely >>>>>>>>>> helps run the count up.
On 11/10/2025 3:08 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
Rob Cesternino announces his new book which will release on >>>>>>>>>>>>> Michele Fitzgerald's birthday May 5, 2026. It can be pre- >>>>>>>>>>>>> ordered at http:// robhasabook.com #survivor #survivor49 >>>>>>>>>>>>> @RobHasApodcast
-a-a@robcesternino
Source: https://x.com/anthonyd46/status/1987306152640585907 >>>>>>>>>>>>>
I wonder whose book will sell more copies: Jeff's or Rob's? >>>>>>>>>>>>>
As I read your post, I thought you were going to say - which >>>>>>>>>>>> book will sell more copies, Robs or Fishbach's.-a Stephan has >>>>>>>>>>>> been plugging his own book on every episode of the Know-it- >>>>>>>>>>>> Alls podcast he and Rob do after every Survivor episode.-a I >>>>>>>>>>>> suppose we will now have to endure both of them plugging >>>>>>>>>>>> their own books on every episode going forward.
Fifty seasons of a show is pretty damn iconic so we'll
probably see more books coming out.
Of the current primetime shows airing, what else has been
around for as long as Survivor other than 60 Minutes and The >>>>>>>>> Simpsons? BB has been around for essentially the same time, but >>>>>>>>> other than that nothing comes close as far as I know. Survivor >>>>>>>>> getting longer episodes after 20+ years is also crazy.
I believe Law and Order SVU has been on the air continuously
longer than Survivor.
I had no idea they're still making that show. A quick search
shows it started in 1999 which just edges out Survivor.
And although I actually like Mariska Hargitay, who was of course
the daughter of Jayne Mansfield, I think I can say I have probably >>>>>> never watched a single episode of that show.
I recall watching the original sometimes, but I can't remember if I >>>>> ever watched this particular sequel.
BB did come on slightly after Survivor, but it's worth noting >>>>>>>> that among reality shows, The Real World was on almost a decade >>>>>>>> before Survivor and in many ways led the way for reality shows >>>>>>>> featuring real-life people living together in unscripted
situations.-a But Real World ended just before the pandemic.
1992rCo2017 according to Wikipedia.
No, they actually did one final season in Atlanta in 2019 which
ended just a few months before the pandemic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Real_World:_Atlanta
The article for the series as a whole says 2017. Was the 2019
season shown on TV?
That's just an editing mistake in the article.-a When they they did
the 2019 season, no one thought to update the article.-a I just made
a correction so we'll see if it sticks. Check it again.
I read more of the article last night and it mentioned the 2019
reboot season was on Facebook Watch which I've never heard of before.
My point is that the last season didn't air on MTV or any other TV
channel as far as I can tell.
That sounds right.-a I stopped watching Real World the same year
Survivor started and don't think I ever watched after that.
Survivor (along with BB) really does owe a lot to Real World, even
beyond the base concept of an unscripted show about a group of diverse
strangers with different personalities and backgrounds living
together. I believe the concept of on-screen confessionals where
players face the camera directly and respond to off-camera prompts by
unseen producers began and was perfected by Real World. I don't recall
any show ever doing that before.-a Oddly enough, RW also originated the
idea of cast members voting people out, which they had to do on
occasion when a contestant broke rules and particularly when a
contestant physically attacked another player.-a It's amazing to
realize today that a player back then could physically hit another
player and the producers would allow the cast to decide what to do
with them.-a Today they would be removed the instant it happened.
Something somewhat similar happened way back on BB4. A guy named Scott basically lost it and started throwing chairs around in the house. The record shows he was expelled, but he wasn't. He was told by the
producers to hold a house meeting. He apologized for his behavior, but
the others didn't accept it because he had apologized before and nothing changed. A number of them were scared and worried for their safety. When
the others didn't accept his apology he got pissed off and went to the
DR. He never did come back.
Here's the segment the show did on the incident. What's not shown is him telling the others that he has an STD. I'll add that his ex Amanda was
also having sex with one of the guys in the house. It was the first time anyone had sex in the BB house.
https://youtu.be/7fENz6_zYqQ?si=wfWneuaQ_D1GO6gi
I wonder how Survivor would handle someone as volatile as Scott with potential weapons readily available?
Speaking of which, I have noticed a significant increase in >>>>>>>>>>>> the number of ads running on Rob's podcasts, including Rob >>>>>>>>>>>> himself delivering many commercials for various outside >>>>>>>>>>>> products.-a I don't know if this is a sign that Rob's income >>>>>>>>>>>> level is suffering and he is trying to grab more advertising >>>>>>>>>>>> money, or if it's the opposite - Rob is doing better than >>>>>>>>>>>> ever and is just adding onto the pile. I wonder if Fishbach >>>>>>>>>>>> has to pay him a fee to plug his book every episode?
I would hope Fishbach gets a free plug. It's really hard to >>>>>>>>>>> say what more ads could mean. I know a lot of YouTubers are >>>>>>>>>>> pissed at Google for manipulating the algorithm and allegedly >>>>>>>>>>> hurting their revenue streams. Have podcast platforms done >>>>>>>>>>> the same? You also have to factor in that Survivor's ratings >>>>>>>>>>> have been great over the last four or five seasons so that >>>>>>>>>>> could mean more people listening/watching Rob's content. I >>>>>>>>>>> would say Rob's cashing in but it's hard to say given how >>>>>>>>>>> many income streams he has. Also, how much does he pay his >>>>>>>>>>> people who host shows he's not part of?
I've wondered about that but not much has really been written >>>>>>>>>> about it. All I can say is I'm pretty sure all other RHAP >>>>>>>>>> hosts have full- time jobs, and I really don't think he has a >>>>>>>>>> staff of full- time employees or anything close.-a I can also >>>>>>>>>> say that it is clear his biggest potential income stream
nowadays probably comes from listeners who sign up for his >>>>>>>>>> Patreon.-a The income he can receive through Patreon probably >>>>>>>>>> exceeds You Tube income or the income he gets from the
commercials he does.-a But I also think he is at a point now >>>>>>>>>> with the show that he can increase the number of commercials >>>>>>>>>> and most people won't mind. For my part, I always download his >>>>>>>>>> podcasts and space past any commercials.-a I just notice I am >>>>>>>>>> doing a lot more of that than I ever did before.
He would need to have a ton of Patreon supporters to surpass >>>>>>>>> his YouTube income, especially if he's running more commercials. >>>>>>>>>
For BB, Rob must have some full-time people for at least part >>>>>>>>> of the year. Taran Armstrong covers the live feeds and does >>>>>>>>> deep interviews that can go on for hours. There's no way he can >>>>>>>>> do that and another job at the same time. Listening to players >>>>>>>>> rewrite history deserves compensation.
And for the record, Jeff is the ultimate Survivor insider, >>>>>>>>>>>> and if he's really going to tell a true inside story of the >>>>>>>>>>>> show, it could be the most detail we have received since >>>>>>>>>>>> Mark Burnett's original book on the subject 20+ years ago. >>>>>>>>>>> But that won't be the case with Jeff's book coming out in >>>>>>>>>>> February. He's already said that the book will be justphotos. Basically a Survivor coffee table book. Jeff might be >>>>>>>>>>> the ultimate insider, but would we ever get the truth out of >>>>>>>>>>> him. I think our best bet would be if Dalton wrote a book. >>>>>>>>>>> He's been covering the show forever, has written some long >>>>>>>>>>> stories about key events based on interviews from the people >>>>>>>>>>> who were there, and I think he would get Jeff's blessing >>>>>>>>>>> along with CBS, etc. I also think past players would be more >>>>>>>>>>> willing to talk to Dalton than Jeff if they had beefs with >>>>>>>>>>> Jeff or the show in general.
Right, but I think Rob has access to as much, if not more >>>>>>>>>> information that Dalton based on the fact that he actually >>>>>>>>>> played twice and interviews more people on average than Dalton >>>>>>>>>> does. Dalton definitely gets a lot of access and has been >>>>>>>>>> embedded once or twice as a season was filmed, but nothing can >>>>>>>>>> take the place of actually playing the game for real.-a Also, >>>>>>>>>> I'm not sure if Dalton's editors would really want him to >>>>>>>>>> write a book on the subject unless he arranged to have it >>>>>>>>>> published through EW and their website.
Dalton, Mike Bloom, etc. have been going out to every season >>>>>>>>> for ages. Dalton is very familiar with the game atmosphere. >>>>>>>>> Yes, Rob has the game experience, but does he have the network >>>>>>>>> and show contacts that Dalton has?
No, but I think in total Rob has probably done more deep-dive, >>>>>>>> analytical type interviews of Survivor contestants over the
years than anyone.-a Dalton has done more interviews overall, but >>>>>>>> they are often more in the form of exit interviews and
pre-season fluff type pieces. I'm pretty sure nobody has done as >>>>>>>> many long- form interviews as Rob.
There's no question Rob's done more deep dive interviews than
anyone. His RHAP empire is built around his Survivor coverage.
Dalton has done deep dive essays on key topics and events which I >>>>>>> think lend themselves more to a book than deep dives with players. >>>>>>>
The more I think about this the more obvious it becomes that we >>>>>>> need one book that focuses on the game from a player standpoint, >>>>>>> and one from a production and business aspect. The latter would >>>>>>> cover topics such as who decides when tribe shuffles will happen, >>>>>>> how ties will be broken, what happens if Jeff goes down during a >>>>>>> season, etc.
And Dalton and Mike have indeed been onsite a lot during the new >>>>>>>> era, but I don't recall them doing that much in what I guess we >>>>>>>> would call the old era.
And as talented as Mike Bloom is, keep in mind he was only
around 10 years old when Survivor first aired.-a So much of his >>>>>>>> knowledge of the early seasons is actually pretty thin.
I thought he was older than that.
No, he was only in his mid-20s when he did his first RHAP podcasts. >>>>>>
Having said all that, Dalton is clearly a better and more
accomplished writer than either of the other two, and he has
worked as a professional writer for probably most of his adult >>>>>>>> life.-a If he had permission to write a comprehensive history of >>>>>>>> the show, I'm sure he would do an excellent job.-a I'm just not >>>>>>>> sure his bosses at EW would let him do it.
He's covered Survivor since Day 1 so he probably knows the show >>>>>>> better than anyone other than maybe Jeff.
He probably knows the show better than Jeff.-a Dalton is a TV nerd >>>>>> like many of us who loves the fine details and trivia of the show. >>>>>> Jeff is a TV producer who is totally focused on the current season >>>>>> he is filming and putting out an entertaining product.-a I don't
think he really cares a whole lot about show trivia.-a He's likely >>>>>> got staff assistants who track that sort of stuff for him.
I think he does care about trivia or at least knows many fans do.
What would worry me about a book from Jeff would be his take on
things the show has done over the years. For example, he loves
three-tribe seasons despite the vast majority of fans hating them.
He also says that they listen to fans. If that's the case then why
no more two- tribe seasons and F2s? I don't think Jeff would be
truly honest with us.
Let's be clear about something.-a Jeff doesn't care about hard-core
fans per se - he cares about the millions of casual fans that form
the overwhelming majority of the viewing audience.-a I honestly don't >>>> know what 8 million viewers would say if you asked them if they
prefer two vs. three tribes.-a They probably don't care and just want >>>> to watch the show.-a Remind me - when they did their fan vote thing
for S50, did they ask about 2 vs. 3 tribes?
I don't recall seeing a vote on that nor on F3 vs. F2. But I do
remember a vote on tribe colors!
I think most casual fans would prefer two tribes because it's easier
to follow. As long the ratings are great, Jeff will just counter with
viewers must be happy with the status quo so why change?
I actually think the show thinks that two large tribes are difficult
to cover properly, especially with a large cast.-a S50 has 24 players
and starting with two massive tribes of 12 could be pretty unwieldy
and make it hard to "tell a story".-a It also almost always results in
"purple" players that just never get air time.-a Whether most fans
agree with that, I have no idea.
Three tribes of eight is going to be really hard to follow. Also, if the season is just 26 days long, how many crazy twists are they going to do
to get rid of people? Are we going to see a record number of double TCs
and the largest jury ever?The winner of S50 could end up being whoever
is the luckiest player.
-a-a>> I can't see his bosses not letting him write a book on Survivor. >>>>>>>
If that's the case then maybe Rob's empire is in trouble. Could
As I said, I think they'd let him do it if it's under the EW brand >>>>>> and is perhaps serialized in the magazine.
I will say Dalton, as a professional writer, would probably >>>>>>>>>> write a better book if he has access to all the same
information. Course there is probably some likelihood Rob will >>>>>>>>>> work with a ghost writer.
Rob could write with Mike Bloom who is very knowledgeable about >>>>>>>>> Survivor. More than likely this is what would happen. Word that >>>>>>>>> such a book is being considered would get out and Boston Rob >>>>>>>>> would say he wants to be part of the project. Jeff would jump >>>>>>>>> for joy and then ask Mike White to help them with the project. >>>>>>>>> Publishers would go for well-known names over people who know >>>>>>>>> more and would address the issues of most interest to fans.
I don't think that will happen.-a Survivor is a popular, high- >>>>>>>> rated show, but the number of viewers that would actually
embrace an analytical book about the show's history is probably >>>>>>>> a small fraction of the viewership. -a-aVery few books about TV >>>>>>>> shows sell all that many copies, and offhand I can't think of a >>>>>>>> major best seller that was devoted to a reality show. More to >>>>>>>> the point, maybe, is that book buying in general has declined >>>>>>>> significantly in the last several years due to the ready
availability of product online.
Costs to publish books are also way down. How is Fishbach's book >>>>>>> selling? If Rob sells 10K copies of his book I think it will be a >>>>>>> huge success for him.
Fishbach's book is in pre-sales.-a Nothing has been announced, but >>>>>> I would guess his pre-sales orders are under 100.
that be why he did The Traitors 4?
I don't know - there is something going on with Rob and I can't
quite put my finger on it.-a Maybe he's just going through a mid-life >>>> crisis or starting to think about his kids' eventual college costs,
but he really does seem to be going after a lot of income sources
these days.
College costs could definitely be a factor. Boston Rob seems to be
doing a lot more as well. On the other hand, it could be a case of
just cashing in on easy opportunities. Finding out that Cirie won
$250K(?) for about two weeks of easy work on Traitors seems to have
been a trigger for a number of these people.
Especially when you figure she won barely a third of that in Survivor
16 when she had to live in the wildnerness for 35 plus days.
And not to mention the millions won by David Genat for not having to
work all that hard on DONDI.
No kidding! On a bit of a side note, 10 Network (?) brought back BB Australia with a new host. Are they getting rid of their old hosts? When
is David's first season of hosting their Survivor supposed to air. I'm
kind of interested to see what the reaction is going to be from fans and
the players.
On 11/12/2025 12:37 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/11/2025 5:41 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/11/2025 6:19 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/11/2025 7:27 AM, Rick wrote:
On 11/11/2025 1:04 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 9:31 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 10:02 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:30 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:46 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 3:36 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 4:48 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 8:09 AM, Rick wrote:Agree.-a 50 seasons is pretty rarefied air for US TV.-a That >>>>>>>>>>> puts it up in the league of Meet the Press, soap operas like >>>>>>>>>>> General Hospital and Days of Our Lives, Sesame Street, SNL >>>>>>>>>>> and not a whole lot else. Doing two seasons a year definitely >>>>>>>>>>> helps run the count up.
On 11/10/2025 3:08 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
Rob Cesternino announces his new book which will release >>>>>>>>>>>>>> on Michele Fitzgerald's birthday May 5, 2026. It can be >>>>>>>>>>>>>> pre- ordered at http:// robhasabook.com #survivor >>>>>>>>>>>>>> #survivor49 @RobHasApodcast
-a-a@robcesternino
Source: https://x.com/anthonyd46/status/1987306152640585907 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I wonder whose book will sell more copies: Jeff's or Rob's? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
As I read your post, I thought you were going to say - >>>>>>>>>>>>> which book will sell more copies, Robs or Fishbach's. >>>>>>>>>>>>> Stephan has been plugging his own book on every episode of >>>>>>>>>>>>> the Know-it- Alls podcast he and Rob do after every >>>>>>>>>>>>> Survivor episode.-a I suppose we will now have to endure >>>>>>>>>>>>> both of them plugging their own books on every episode >>>>>>>>>>>>> going forward.
Fifty seasons of a show is pretty damn iconic so we'll >>>>>>>>>>>> probably see more books coming out.
Of the current primetime shows airing, what else has been >>>>>>>>>> around for as long as Survivor other than 60 Minutes and The >>>>>>>>>> Simpsons? BB has been around for essentially the same time, >>>>>>>>>> but other than that nothing comes close as far as I know. >>>>>>>>>> Survivor getting longer episodes after 20+ years is also crazy. >>>>>>>>>>
I believe Law and Order SVU has been on the air continuously >>>>>>>>> longer than Survivor.
I had no idea they're still making that show. A quick search
shows it started in 1999 which just edges out Survivor.
And although I actually like Mariska Hargitay, who was of course >>>>>>> the daughter of Jayne Mansfield, I think I can say I have
probably never watched a single episode of that show.
I recall watching the original sometimes, but I can't remember if >>>>>> I ever watched this particular sequel.
BB did come on slightly after Survivor, but it's worth noting >>>>>>>>> that among reality shows, The Real World was on almost a decade >>>>>>>>> before Survivor and in many ways led the way for reality shows >>>>>>>>> featuring real-life people living together in unscripted
situations.-a But Real World ended just before the pandemic.
1992rCo2017 according to Wikipedia.
No, they actually did one final season in Atlanta in 2019 which >>>>>>> ended just a few months before the pandemic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Real_World:_Atlanta
The article for the series as a whole says 2017. Was the 2019
season shown on TV?
That's just an editing mistake in the article.-a When they they did >>>>> the 2019 season, no one thought to update the article.-a I just made >>>>> a correction so we'll see if it sticks. Check it again.
I read more of the article last night and it mentioned the 2019
reboot season was on Facebook Watch which I've never heard of
before. My point is that the last season didn't air on MTV or any
other TV channel as far as I can tell.
That sounds right.-a I stopped watching Real World the same year
Survivor started and don't think I ever watched after that.
Survivor (along with BB) really does owe a lot to Real World, even
beyond the base concept of an unscripted show about a group of
diverse strangers with different personalities and backgrounds living
together. I believe the concept of on-screen confessionals where
players face the camera directly and respond to off-camera prompts by
unseen producers began and was perfected by Real World. I don't
recall any show ever doing that before.-a Oddly enough, RW also
originated the idea of cast members voting people out, which they had
to do on occasion when a contestant broke rules and particularly when
a contestant physically attacked another player.-a It's amazing to
realize today that a player back then could physically hit another
player and the producers would allow the cast to decide what to do
with them.-a Today they would be removed the instant it happened.
Something somewhat similar happened way back on BB4. A guy named Scott
basically lost it and started throwing chairs around in the house. The
record shows he was expelled, but he wasn't. He was told by the
producers to hold a house meeting. He apologized for his behavior, but
the others didn't accept it because he had apologized before and
nothing changed. A number of them were scared and worried for their
safety. When the others didn't accept his apology he got pissed off
and went to the DR. He never did come back.
Here's the segment the show did on the incident. What's not shown is
him telling the others that he has an STD. I'll add that his ex Amanda
was also having sex with one of the guys in the house. It was the
first time anyone had sex in the BB house.
https://youtu.be/7fENz6_zYqQ?si=wfWneuaQ_D1GO6gi
I wonder how Survivor would handle someone as volatile as Scott with
potential weapons readily available?
Nowadays they would be instantly removed.-a In thinking back on the show,
I guess Brandon Hantz was maybe the most volatile player ever?-a I think they learned from the Dan Spilo controversy that players caught doing
any kind of touching or overt aggression have to be removed instantly. I think they are also trying to be much more careful in casting.
I think he does care about trivia or at least knows many fans do. >>>>>> What would worry me about a book from Jeff would be his take onSpeaking of which, I have noticed a significant increase in >>>>>>>>>>>>> the number of ads running on Rob's podcasts, including Rob >>>>>>>>>>>>> himself delivering many commercials for various outside >>>>>>>>>>>>> products.-a I don't know if this is a sign that Rob's income >>>>>>>>>>>>> level is suffering and he is trying to grab more
advertising money, or if it's the opposite - Rob is doing >>>>>>>>>>>>> better than ever and is just adding onto the pile. I wonder >>>>>>>>>>>>> if Fishbach has to pay him a fee to plug his book every >>>>>>>>>>>>> episode?
I would hope Fishbach gets a free plug. It's really hard to >>>>>>>>>>>> say what more ads could mean. I know a lot of YouTubers are >>>>>>>>>>>> pissed at Google for manipulating the algorithm and
allegedly hurting their revenue streams. Have podcast >>>>>>>>>>>> platforms done the same? You also have to factor in that >>>>>>>>>>>> Survivor's ratings have been great over the last four or >>>>>>>>>>>> five seasons so that could mean more people listening/ >>>>>>>>>>>> watching Rob's content. I would say Rob's cashing in but >>>>>>>>>>>> it's hard to say given how many income streams he has. Also, >>>>>>>>>>>> how much does he pay his people who host shows he's not part >>>>>>>>>>>> of?
I've wondered about that but not much has really been written >>>>>>>>>>> about it. All I can say is I'm pretty sure all other RHAP >>>>>>>>>>> hosts have full- time jobs, and I really don't think he has a >>>>>>>>>>> staff of full- time employees or anything close.-a I can also >>>>>>>>>>> say that it is clear his biggest potential income stream >>>>>>>>>>> nowadays probably comes from listeners who sign up for his >>>>>>>>>>> Patreon.-a The income he can receive through Patreon probably >>>>>>>>>>> exceeds You Tube income or the income he gets from the
commercials he does.-a But I also think he is at a point now >>>>>>>>>>> with the show that he can increase the number of commercials >>>>>>>>>>> and most people won't mind. For my part, I always download >>>>>>>>>>> his podcasts and space past any commercials.-a I just notice I >>>>>>>>>>> am doing a lot more of that than I ever did before.
He would need to have a ton of Patreon supporters to surpass >>>>>>>>>> his YouTube income, especially if he's running more commercials. >>>>>>>>>>
For BB, Rob must have some full-time people for at least part >>>>>>>>>> of the year. Taran Armstrong covers the live feeds and does >>>>>>>>>> deep interviews that can go on for hours. There's no way he >>>>>>>>>> can do that and another job at the same time. Listening to >>>>>>>>>> players rewrite history deserves compensation.
And for the record, Jeff is the ultimate Survivor insider, >>>>>>>>>>>>> and if he's really going to tell a true inside story of the >>>>>>>>>>>>> show, it could be the most detail we have received since >>>>>>>>>>>>> Mark Burnett's original book on the subject 20+ years ago. >>>>>>>>>>>> But that won't be the case with Jeff's book coming out in >>>>>>>>>>>> February. He's already said that the book will be just >>>>>>>>>>>> photos. Basically a Survivor coffee table book. Jeff might >>>>>>>>>>>> be the ultimate insider, but would we ever get the truth out >>>>>>>>>>>> of him. I think our best bet would be if Dalton wrote a >>>>>>>>>>>> book. He's been covering the show forever, has written some >>>>>>>>>>>> long stories about key events based on interviews from the >>>>>>>>>>>> people who were there, and I think he would get Jeff's >>>>>>>>>>>> blessing along with CBS, etc. I also think past players >>>>>>>>>>>> would be more willing to talk to Dalton than Jeff if they >>>>>>>>>>>> had beefs with Jeff or the show in general.
Right, but I think Rob has access to as much, if not more >>>>>>>>>>> information that Dalton based on the fact that he actually >>>>>>>>>>> played twice and interviews more people on average than >>>>>>>>>>> Dalton does. Dalton definitely gets a lot of access and has >>>>>>>>>>> been embedded once or twice as a season was filmed, but >>>>>>>>>>> nothing can take the place of actually playing the game for >>>>>>>>>>> real.-a Also, I'm not sure if Dalton's editors would really >>>>>>>>>>> want him to write a book on the subject unless he arranged to >>>>>>>>>>> have it published through EW and their website.
Dalton, Mike Bloom, etc. have been going out to every season >>>>>>>>>> for ages. Dalton is very familiar with the game atmosphere. >>>>>>>>>> Yes, Rob has the game experience, but does he have the network >>>>>>>>>> and show contacts that Dalton has?
No, but I think in total Rob has probably done more deep-dive, >>>>>>>>> analytical type interviews of Survivor contestants over the >>>>>>>>> years than anyone.-a Dalton has done more interviews overall, >>>>>>>>> but they are often more in the form of exit interviews and pre- >>>>>>>>> season fluff type pieces. I'm pretty sure nobody has done as >>>>>>>>> many long- form interviews as Rob.
There's no question Rob's done more deep dive interviews than >>>>>>>> anyone. His RHAP empire is built around his Survivor coverage. >>>>>>>> Dalton has done deep dive essays on key topics and events which >>>>>>>> I think lend themselves more to a book than deep dives with
players.
The more I think about this the more obvious it becomes that we >>>>>>>> need one book that focuses on the game from a player standpoint, >>>>>>>> and one from a production and business aspect. The latter would >>>>>>>> cover topics such as who decides when tribe shuffles will
happen, how ties will be broken, what happens if Jeff goes down >>>>>>>> during a season, etc.
And Dalton and Mike have indeed been onsite a lot during the >>>>>>>>> new era, but I don't recall them doing that much in what I
guess we would call the old era.
And as talented as Mike Bloom is, keep in mind he was only
around 10 years old when Survivor first aired.-a So much of his >>>>>>>>> knowledge of the early seasons is actually pretty thin.
I thought he was older than that.
No, he was only in his mid-20s when he did his first RHAP podcasts. >>>>>>>
Having said all that, Dalton is clearly a better and more
accomplished writer than either of the other two, and he has >>>>>>>>> worked as a professional writer for probably most of his adult >>>>>>>>> life.-a If he had permission to write a comprehensive history of >>>>>>>>> the show, I'm sure he would do an excellent job.-a I'm just not >>>>>>>>> sure his bosses at EW would let him do it.
He's covered Survivor since Day 1 so he probably knows the show >>>>>>>> better than anyone other than maybe Jeff.
He probably knows the show better than Jeff.-a Dalton is a TV nerd >>>>>>> like many of us who loves the fine details and trivia of the
show. Jeff is a TV producer who is totally focused on the current >>>>>>> season he is filming and putting out an entertaining product.-a I >>>>>>> don't think he really cares a whole lot about show trivia.-a He's >>>>>>> likely got staff assistants who track that sort of stuff for him. >>>>>>
things the show has done over the years. For example, he loves
three-tribe seasons despite the vast majority of fans hating them. >>>>>> He also says that they listen to fans. If that's the case then why >>>>>> no more two- tribe seasons and F2s? I don't think Jeff would be
truly honest with us.
Let's be clear about something.-a Jeff doesn't care about hard-core >>>>> fans per se - he cares about the millions of casual fans that form
the overwhelming majority of the viewing audience.-a I honestly
don't know what 8 million viewers would say if you asked them if
they prefer two vs. three tribes.-a They probably don't care and
just want to watch the show.-a Remind me - when they did their fan
vote thing for S50, did they ask about 2 vs. 3 tribes?
I don't recall seeing a vote on that nor on F3 vs. F2. But I do
remember a vote on tribe colors!
I think most casual fans would prefer two tribes because it's easier
to follow. As long the ratings are great, Jeff will just counter
with viewers must be happy with the status quo so why change?
I actually think the show thinks that two large tribes are difficult
to cover properly, especially with a large cast.-a S50 has 24 players
and starting with two massive tribes of 12 could be pretty unwieldy
and make it hard to "tell a story".-a It also almost always results in
"purple" players that just never get air time.-a Whether most fans
agree with that, I have no idea.
Three tribes of eight is going to be really hard to follow. Also, if
the season is just 26 days long, how many crazy twists are they going
to do to get rid of people? Are we going to see a record number of
double TCs and the largest jury ever?The winner of S50 could end up
being whoever is the luckiest player.
I don't think it will be that hard because these are all returning
players and half of them are from the last five years.-a So it's not like
24 names and faces to learn.
And yeah, there will have to be some weird twists to get the numbers
down fast enough in a 26 game season.-a That's like getting rid of one player each day up to the finals.-a Maybe they should re-name the season "Survivor 50 Lottery" because, as you say, it's likely to be a season
based in large part on luck
-a-a>> I can't see his bosses not letting him write a book on Survivor. >>>>>>>>
If that's the case then maybe Rob's empire is in trouble. Could
As I said, I think they'd let him do it if it's under the EW
brand and is perhaps serialized in the magazine.
I will say Dalton, as a professional writer, would probably >>>>>>>>>>> write a better book if he has access to all the same
information. Course there is probably some likelihood Rob >>>>>>>>>>> will work with a ghost writer.
Rob could write with Mike Bloom who is very knowledgeable >>>>>>>>>> about Survivor. More than likely this is what would happen. >>>>>>>>>> Word that such a book is being considered would get out and >>>>>>>>>> Boston Rob would say he wants to be part of the project. Jeff >>>>>>>>>> would jump for joy and then ask Mike White to help them with >>>>>>>>>> the project. Publishers would go for well-known names over >>>>>>>>>> people who know more and would address the issues of most >>>>>>>>>> interest to fans.
I don't think that will happen.-a Survivor is a popular, high- >>>>>>>>> rated show, but the number of viewers that would actually
embrace an analytical book about the show's history is probably >>>>>>>>> a small fraction of the viewership. -a-aVery few books about TV >>>>>>>>> shows sell all that many copies, and offhand I can't think of a >>>>>>>>> major best seller that was devoted to a reality show. More to >>>>>>>>> the point, maybe, is that book buying in general has declined >>>>>>>>> significantly in the last several years due to the ready
availability of product online.
Costs to publish books are also way down. How is Fishbach's book >>>>>>>> selling? If Rob sells 10K copies of his book I think it will be >>>>>>>> a huge success for him.
Fishbach's book is in pre-sales.-a Nothing has been announced, but >>>>>>> I would guess his pre-sales orders are under 100.
that be why he did The Traitors 4?
I don't know - there is something going on with Rob and I can't
quite put my finger on it.-a Maybe he's just going through a mid-
life crisis or starting to think about his kids' eventual college
costs, but he really does seem to be going after a lot of income
sources these days.
College costs could definitely be a factor. Boston Rob seems to be
doing a lot more as well. On the other hand, it could be a case of
just cashing in on easy opportunities. Finding out that Cirie won
$250K(?) for about two weeks of easy work on Traitors seems to have
been a trigger for a number of these people.
Especially when you figure she won barely a third of that in Survivor
16 when she had to live in the wildnerness for 35 plus days.
And not to mention the millions won by David Genat for not having to
work all that hard on DONDI.
No kidding! On a bit of a side note, 10 Network (?) brought back BB
Australia with a new host. Are they getting rid of their old hosts?
When is David's first season of hosting their Survivor supposed to
air. I'm kind of interested to see what the reaction is going to be
from fans and the players.
The shows usually air beginning in late January-early February, so we'll probably see him then.
On 11/12/2025 7:57 AM, Rick wrote:
On 11/12/2025 12:37 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/11/2025 5:41 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/11/2025 6:19 PM, Brian Smith wrote:Something somewhat similar happened way back on BB4. A guy named
On 11/11/2025 7:27 AM, Rick wrote:
On 11/11/2025 1:04 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 9:31 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 10:02 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:30 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:46 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 3:36 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 4:48 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 8:09 AM, Rick wrote:Agree.-a 50 seasons is pretty rarefied air for US TV.-a That >>>>>>>>>>>> puts it up in the league of Meet the Press, soap operas like >>>>>>>>>>>> General Hospital and Days of Our Lives, Sesame Street, SNL >>>>>>>>>>>> and not a whole lot else. Doing two seasons a year
On 11/10/2025 3:08 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
Rob Cesternino announces his new book which will release >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> on Michele Fitzgerald's birthday May 5, 2026. It can be >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> pre- ordered at http:// robhasabook.com #survivor >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> #survivor49 @RobHasApodcast
-a-a@robcesternino
Source: https://x.com/anthonyd46/status/1987306152640585907 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I wonder whose book will sell more copies: Jeff's or Rob's? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
As I read your post, I thought you were going to say - >>>>>>>>>>>>>> which book will sell more copies, Robs or Fishbach's. >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Stephan has been plugging his own book on every episode of >>>>>>>>>>>>>> the Know-it- Alls podcast he and Rob do after every >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Survivor episode.-a I suppose we will now have to endure >>>>>>>>>>>>>> both of them plugging their own books on every episode >>>>>>>>>>>>>> going forward.
Fifty seasons of a show is pretty damn iconic so we'll >>>>>>>>>>>>> probably see more books coming out.
definitely helps run the count up.
Of the current primetime shows airing, what else has been >>>>>>>>>>> around for as long as Survivor other than 60 Minutes and The >>>>>>>>>>> Simpsons? BB has been around for essentially the same time, >>>>>>>>>>> but other than that nothing comes close as far as I know. >>>>>>>>>>> Survivor getting longer episodes after 20+ years is also crazy. >>>>>>>>>>>
I believe Law and Order SVU has been on the air continuously >>>>>>>>>> longer than Survivor.
I had no idea they're still making that show. A quick search >>>>>>>>> shows it started in 1999 which just edges out Survivor.
And although I actually like Mariska Hargitay, who was of course >>>>>>>> the daughter of Jayne Mansfield, I think I can say I have
probably never watched a single episode of that show.
I recall watching the original sometimes, but I can't remember if >>>>>>> I ever watched this particular sequel.
BB did come on slightly after Survivor, but it's worth noting >>>>>>>>>> that among reality shows, The Real World was on almost a
decade before Survivor and in many ways led the way for
reality shows featuring real-life people living together in >>>>>>>>>> unscripted situations.-a But Real World ended just before the >>>>>>>>>> pandemic.
1992rCo2017 according to Wikipedia.
No, they actually did one final season in Atlanta in 2019 which >>>>>>>> ended just a few months before the pandemic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Real_World:_Atlanta
The article for the series as a whole says 2017. Was the 2019
season shown on TV?
That's just an editing mistake in the article.-a When they they did >>>>>> the 2019 season, no one thought to update the article.-a I just
made a correction so we'll see if it sticks. Check it again.
I read more of the article last night and it mentioned the 2019
reboot season was on Facebook Watch which I've never heard of
before. My point is that the last season didn't air on MTV or any
other TV channel as far as I can tell.
That sounds right.-a I stopped watching Real World the same year
Survivor started and don't think I ever watched after that.
Survivor (along with BB) really does owe a lot to Real World, even
beyond the base concept of an unscripted show about a group of
diverse strangers with different personalities and backgrounds
living together. I believe the concept of on-screen confessionals
where players face the camera directly and respond to off-camera
prompts by unseen producers began and was perfected by Real World. I
don't recall any show ever doing that before.-a Oddly enough, RW also >>>> originated the idea of cast members voting people out, which they
had to do on occasion when a contestant broke rules and particularly
when a contestant physically attacked another player.-a It's amazing
to realize today that a player back then could physically hit
another player and the producers would allow the cast to decide what
to do with them.-a Today they would be removed the instant it happened. >>>
Scott basically lost it and started throwing chairs around in the
house. The record shows he was expelled, but he wasn't. He was told
by the producers to hold a house meeting. He apologized for his
behavior, but the others didn't accept it because he had apologized
before and nothing changed. A number of them were scared and worried
for their safety. When the others didn't accept his apology he got
pissed off and went to the DR. He never did come back.
Here's the segment the show did on the incident. What's not shown is
him telling the others that he has an STD. I'll add that his ex
Amanda was also having sex with one of the guys in the house. It was
the first time anyone had sex in the BB house.
https://youtu.be/7fENz6_zYqQ?si=wfWneuaQ_D1GO6gi
I wonder how Survivor would handle someone as volatile as Scott with
potential weapons readily available?
Nowadays they would be instantly removed.-a In thinking back on the
show, I guess Brandon Hantz was maybe the most volatile player ever?
I think they learned from the Dan Spilo controversy that players
caught doing any kind of touching or overt aggression have to be
removed instantly. I think they are also trying to be much more
careful in casting.
I'd agree that Brandon was the most volatile, but Jeff and a few of the players seemed to be able to calm him down. I'd also be worried about unpredictability and players who are complete assholes such as Rome.
Speaking of which, I have noticed a significant increase >>>>>>>>>>>>>> in the number of ads running on Rob's podcasts, including >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Rob himself delivering many commercials for various >>>>>>>>>>>>>> outside products.-a I don't know if this is a sign that >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Rob's income level is suffering and he is trying to grab >>>>>>>>>>>>>> more advertising money, or if it's the opposite - Rob is >>>>>>>>>>>>>> doing better than ever and is just adding onto the pile. I >>>>>>>>>>>>>> wonder if Fishbach has to pay him a fee to plug his book >>>>>>>>>>>>>> every episode?
I would hope Fishbach gets a free plug. It's really hard to >>>>>>>>>>>>> say what more ads could mean. I know a lot of YouTubers are >>>>>>>>>>>>> pissed at Google for manipulating the algorithm and >>>>>>>>>>>>> allegedly hurting their revenue streams. Have podcast >>>>>>>>>>>>> platforms done the same? You also have to factor in that >>>>>>>>>>>>> Survivor's ratings have been great over the last four or >>>>>>>>>>>>> five seasons so that could mean more people listening/ >>>>>>>>>>>>> watching Rob's content. I would say Rob's cashing in but >>>>>>>>>>>>> it's hard to say given how many income streams he has. >>>>>>>>>>>>> Also, how much does he pay his people who host shows he's >>>>>>>>>>>>> not part of?
I've wondered about that but not much has really been >>>>>>>>>>>> written about it. All I can say is I'm pretty sure all other >>>>>>>>>>>> RHAP hosts have full- time jobs, and I really don't think he >>>>>>>>>>>> has a staff of full- time employees or anything close.-a I >>>>>>>>>>>> can also say that it is clear his biggest potential income >>>>>>>>>>>> stream nowadays probably comes from listeners who sign up >>>>>>>>>>>> for his Patreon.-a The income he can receive through Patreon >>>>>>>>>>>> probably exceeds You Tube income or the income he gets from >>>>>>>>>>>> the commercials he does.-a But I also think he is at a point >>>>>>>>>>>> now with the show that he can increase the number of
commercials and most people won't mind. For my part, I >>>>>>>>>>>> always download his podcasts and space past any
commercials.-a I just notice I am doing a lot more of that >>>>>>>>>>>> than I ever did before.
He would need to have a ton of Patreon supporters to surpass >>>>>>>>>>> his YouTube income, especially if he's running more commercials. >>>>>>>>>>>
For BB, Rob must have some full-time people for at least part >>>>>>>>>>> of the year. Taran Armstrong covers the live feeds and does >>>>>>>>>>> deep interviews that can go on for hours. There's no way he >>>>>>>>>>> can do that and another job at the same time. Listening to >>>>>>>>>>> players rewrite history deserves compensation.
And for the record, Jeff is the ultimate Survivor insider, >>>>>>>>>>>>>> and if he's really going to tell a true inside story of >>>>>>>>>>>>>> the show, it could be the most detail we have received >>>>>>>>>>>>>> since Mark Burnett's original book on the subject 20+ >>>>>>>>>>>>>> years ago.But that won't be the case with Jeff's book coming out in >>>>>>>>>>>>> February. He's already said that the book will be just >>>>>>>>>>>>> photos. Basically a Survivor coffee table book. Jeff might >>>>>>>>>>>>> be the ultimate insider, but would we ever get the truth >>>>>>>>>>>>> out of him. I think our best bet would be if Dalton wrote a >>>>>>>>>>>>> book. He's been covering the show forever, has written some >>>>>>>>>>>>> long stories about key events based on interviews from the >>>>>>>>>>>>> people who were there, and I think he would get Jeff's >>>>>>>>>>>>> blessing along with CBS, etc. I also think past players >>>>>>>>>>>>> would be more willing to talk to Dalton than Jeff if they >>>>>>>>>>>>> had beefs with Jeff or the show in general.
Right, but I think Rob has access to as much, if not more >>>>>>>>>>>> information that Dalton based on the fact that he actually >>>>>>>>>>>> played twice and interviews more people on average than >>>>>>>>>>>> Dalton does. Dalton definitely gets a lot of access and has >>>>>>>>>>>> been embedded once or twice as a season was filmed, but >>>>>>>>>>>> nothing can take the place of actually playing the game for >>>>>>>>>>>> real.-a Also, I'm not sure if Dalton's editors would really >>>>>>>>>>>> want him to write a book on the subject unless he arranged >>>>>>>>>>>> to have it published through EW and their website.
Dalton, Mike Bloom, etc. have been going out to every season >>>>>>>>>>> for ages. Dalton is very familiar with the game atmosphere. >>>>>>>>>>> Yes, Rob has the game experience, but does he have the
network and show contacts that Dalton has?
No, but I think in total Rob has probably done more deep-dive, >>>>>>>>>> analytical type interviews of Survivor contestants over the >>>>>>>>>> years than anyone.-a Dalton has done more interviews overall, >>>>>>>>>> but they are often more in the form of exit interviews and >>>>>>>>>> pre- season fluff type pieces. I'm pretty sure nobody has done >>>>>>>>>> as many long- form interviews as Rob.
There's no question Rob's done more deep dive interviews than >>>>>>>>> anyone. His RHAP empire is built around his Survivor coverage. >>>>>>>>> Dalton has done deep dive essays on key topics and events which >>>>>>>>> I think lend themselves more to a book than deep dives with >>>>>>>>> players.
The more I think about this the more obvious it becomes that we >>>>>>>>> need one book that focuses on the game from a player
standpoint, and one from a production and business aspect. The >>>>>>>>> latter would cover topics such as who decides when tribe
shuffles will happen, how ties will be broken, what happens if >>>>>>>>> Jeff goes down during a season, etc.
And Dalton and Mike have indeed been onsite a lot during the >>>>>>>>>> new era, but I don't recall them doing that much in what I >>>>>>>>>> guess we would call the old era.
And as talented as Mike Bloom is, keep in mind he was only >>>>>>>>>> around 10 years old when Survivor first aired.-a So much of his >>>>>>>>>> knowledge of the early seasons is actually pretty thin.
I thought he was older than that.
No, he was only in his mid-20s when he did his first RHAP podcasts. >>>>>>>>
Having said all that, Dalton is clearly a better and more >>>>>>>>>> accomplished writer than either of the other two, and he has >>>>>>>>>> worked as a professional writer for probably most of his adult >>>>>>>>>> life.-a If he had permission to write a comprehensive history >>>>>>>>>> of the show, I'm sure he would do an excellent job.-a I'm just >>>>>>>>>> not sure his bosses at EW would let him do it.
He's covered Survivor since Day 1 so he probably knows the show >>>>>>>>> better than anyone other than maybe Jeff.
He probably knows the show better than Jeff.-a Dalton is a TV >>>>>>>> nerd like many of us who loves the fine details and trivia of >>>>>>>> the show. Jeff is a TV producer who is totally focused on the >>>>>>>> current season he is filming and putting out an entertaining
product.-a I don't think he really cares a whole lot about show >>>>>>>> trivia.-a He's likely got staff assistants who track that sort of >>>>>>>> stuff for him.
I think he does care about trivia or at least knows many fans do. >>>>>>> What would worry me about a book from Jeff would be his take on >>>>>>> things the show has done over the years. For example, he loves
three-tribe seasons despite the vast majority of fans hating
them. He also says that they listen to fans. If that's the case >>>>>>> then why no more two- tribe seasons and F2s? I don't think Jeff >>>>>>> would be truly honest with us.
Let's be clear about something.-a Jeff doesn't care about hard-core >>>>>> fans per se - he cares about the millions of casual fans that form >>>>>> the overwhelming majority of the viewing audience.-a I honestly
don't know what 8 million viewers would say if you asked them if
they prefer two vs. three tribes.-a They probably don't care and
just want to watch the show.-a Remind me - when they did their fan >>>>>> vote thing for S50, did they ask about 2 vs. 3 tribes?
I don't recall seeing a vote on that nor on F3 vs. F2. But I do
remember a vote on tribe colors!
I think most casual fans would prefer two tribes because it's
easier to follow. As long the ratings are great, Jeff will just
counter with viewers must be happy with the status quo so why change? >>>>>
I actually think the show thinks that two large tribes are difficult
to cover properly, especially with a large cast.-a S50 has 24 players >>>> and starting with two massive tribes of 12 could be pretty unwieldy
and make it hard to "tell a story".-a It also almost always results
in "purple" players that just never get air time.-a Whether most fans >>>> agree with that, I have no idea.
Three tribes of eight is going to be really hard to follow. Also, if
the season is just 26 days long, how many crazy twists are they going
to do to get rid of people? Are we going to see a record number of
double TCs and the largest jury ever?The winner of S50 could end up
being whoever is the luckiest player.
I don't think it will be that hard because these are all returning
players and half of them are from the last five years.-a So it's not
like 24 names and faces to learn.
Learning new names and faces isn't hard. What's hard to follow is the needless tribe swaps which result in having to figure out who will align with who, etc. And then an episode later they do more unnecessary
shuffling which results in starting over. I'd prefer if the alliance
shifts were organic. If a tribe gets wiped out so be it.
And yeah, there will have to be some weird twists to get the numbers
down fast enough in a 26 game season.-a That's like getting rid of one
player each day up to the finals.-a Maybe they should re-name the
season "Survivor 50 Lottery" because, as you say, it's likely to be a
season based in large part on luck
Do you think Jeff would be cruel enough to have people eliminated before
the game even starts? I'm thinking Wanda.
-a-a>> I can't see his bosses not letting him write a book on
Survivor.
If that's the case then maybe Rob's empire is in trouble. Could >>>>>>> that be why he did The Traitors 4?
As I said, I think they'd let him do it if it's under the EW
brand and is perhaps serialized in the magazine.
I will say Dalton, as a professional writer, would probably >>>>>>>>>>>> write a better book if he has access to all the same
information. Course there is probably some likelihood Rob >>>>>>>>>>>> will work with a ghost writer.
Rob could write with Mike Bloom who is very knowledgeable >>>>>>>>>>> about Survivor. More than likely this is what would happen. >>>>>>>>>>> Word that such a book is being considered would get out and >>>>>>>>>>> Boston Rob would say he wants to be part of the project. Jeff >>>>>>>>>>> would jump for joy and then ask Mike White to help them with >>>>>>>>>>> the project. Publishers would go for well-known names over >>>>>>>>>>> people who know more and would address the issues of most >>>>>>>>>>> interest to fans.
I don't think that will happen.-a Survivor is a popular, high- >>>>>>>>>> rated show, but the number of viewers that would actually >>>>>>>>>> embrace an analytical book about the show's history is
probably a small fraction of the viewership. -a-aVery few books >>>>>>>>>> about TV shows sell all that many copies, and offhand I can't >>>>>>>>>> think of a major best seller that was devoted to a reality >>>>>>>>>> show. More to the point, maybe, is that book buying in general >>>>>>>>>> has declined significantly in the last several years due to >>>>>>>>>> the ready availability of product online.
Costs to publish books are also way down. How is Fishbach's >>>>>>>>> book selling? If Rob sells 10K copies of his book I think it >>>>>>>>> will be a huge success for him.
Fishbach's book is in pre-sales.-a Nothing has been announced, >>>>>>>> but I would guess his pre-sales orders are under 100.
I don't know - there is something going on with Rob and I can't
quite put my finger on it.-a Maybe he's just going through a mid- >>>>>> life crisis or starting to think about his kids' eventual college >>>>>> costs, but he really does seem to be going after a lot of income
sources these days.
College costs could definitely be a factor. Boston Rob seems to be
doing a lot more as well. On the other hand, it could be a case of
just cashing in on easy opportunities. Finding out that Cirie won
$250K(?) for about two weeks of easy work on Traitors seems to have >>>>> been a trigger for a number of these people.
Especially when you figure she won barely a third of that in
Survivor 16 when she had to live in the wildnerness for 35 plus days.
And not to mention the millions won by David Genat for not having to
work all that hard on DONDI.
No kidding! On a bit of a side note, 10 Network (?) brought back BB
Australia with a new host. Are they getting rid of their old hosts?
When is David's first season of hosting their Survivor supposed to
air. I'm kind of interested to see what the reaction is going to be
from fans and the players.
The shows usually air beginning in late January-early February, so
we'll probably see him then.
They should have hired Bindy Irwin to replace JLP. Or is she retired now?
On 11/10/2025 10:02 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:30 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:46 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 3:36 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 4:48 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 8:09 AM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 3:08 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
Rob Cesternino announces his new book which will release on
Michele Fitzgerald's birthday May 5, 2026. It can be pre-ordered >>>>>>>> at http:// robhasabook.com #survivor #survivor49 @RobHasApodcast >>>>>>>> -a-a@robcesternino
Source: https://x.com/anthonyd46/status/1987306152640585907
I wonder whose book will sell more copies: Jeff's or Rob's?
I don't think that will happen.-a Survivor is a popular, high-rated
show, but the number of viewers that would actually embrace an
analytical book about the show's history is probably a small fraction
of the viewership. -a-aVery few books about TV shows sell all that many >>> copies, and offhand I can't think of a major best seller that was
devoted to a reality show. More to the point, maybe, is that book
buying in general has declined significantly in the last several
years due to the ready availability of product online.
Costs to publish books are also way down. How is Fishbach's book
selling? If Rob sells 10K copies of his book I think it will be a huge
success for him.
Fishbach's book is in pre-sales.-a Nothing has been announced, but I
would guess his pre-sales orders are under 100.
I seriously doubt Rob can sell 10,000 copies.-a If he can get to a couple thousand, I think he will be doing good.
On 11/10/2025 9:31 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 10:02 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:30 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:46 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 3:36 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 4:48 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 8:09 AM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 3:08 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
Rob Cesternino announces his new book which will release on >>>>>>>>> Michele Fitzgerald's birthday May 5, 2026. It can be
pre-ordered at http:// robhasabook.com #survivor #survivor49 >>>>>>>>> @RobHasApodcast
-a-a@robcesternino
Source: https://x.com/anthonyd46/status/1987306152640585907
I wonder whose book will sell more copies: Jeff's or Rob's?
I don't think that will happen.-a Survivor is a popular, high-rated
show, but the number of viewers that would actually embrace an
analytical book about the show's history is probably a small
fraction of the viewership. -a-aVery few books about TV shows sell all >>>> that many copies, and offhand I can't think of a major best seller
that was devoted to a reality show. More to the point, maybe, is
that book buying in general has declined significantly in the last
several years due to the ready availability of product online.
Costs to publish books are also way down. How is Fishbach's book
selling? If Rob sells 10K copies of his book I think it will be a
huge success for him.
Fishbach's book is in pre-sales.-a Nothing has been announced, but I
would guess his pre-sales orders are under 100.
I seriously doubt Rob can sell 10,000 copies.-a If he can get to a
couple thousand, I think he will be doing good.
This is interesting. Taran Armstrong, who covers BB for RHAP, wrote a
book covering 25 years of the show that was officially released today.
Based on his post, he must have had at least 4,200 presales. Seeing that number now has me wondering if that inspired Rob to write a book? It's
also possible that Fishbach's presales are great.Unless there's a ton of competition, Rob should be able to easily sell 10K copies of his book.
On 11/25/2025 4:20 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 9:31 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 10:02 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:30 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:46 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 3:36 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 4:48 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 8:09 AM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 3:08 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
Rob Cesternino announces his new book which will release on >>>>>>>>>> Michele Fitzgerald's birthday May 5, 2026. It can be pre- >>>>>>>>>> ordered at http:// robhasabook.com #survivor #survivor49
@RobHasApodcast
-a-a@robcesternino
Source: https://x.com/anthonyd46/status/1987306152640585907 >>>>>>>>>>
I wonder whose book will sell more copies: Jeff's or Rob's? >>>>>>>>>>
I don't think that will happen.-a Survivor is a popular, high-rated >>>>> show, but the number of viewers that would actually embrace an
analytical book about the show's history is probably a small
fraction of the viewership. -a-aVery few books about TV shows sell
all that many copies, and offhand I can't think of a major best
seller that was devoted to a reality show. More to the point,
maybe, is that book buying in general has declined significantly in >>>>> the last several years due to the ready availability of product
online.
Costs to publish books are also way down. How is Fishbach's book
selling? If Rob sells 10K copies of his book I think it will be a
huge success for him.
Fishbach's book is in pre-sales.-a Nothing has been announced, but I
would guess his pre-sales orders are under 100.
I seriously doubt Rob can sell 10,000 copies.-a If he can get to a
couple thousand, I think he will be doing good.
This is interesting. Taran Armstrong, who covers BB for RHAP, wrote a
book covering 25 years of the show that was officially released today.
Based on his post, he must have had at least 4,200 presales. Seeing
that number now has me wondering if that inspired Rob to write a book?
It's also possible that Fishbach's presales are great.Unless there's a
ton of competition, Rob should be able to easily sell 10K copies of
his book.
It says he signed 4200 copies, not that they actually sold that many.
The way the books are stacked makes me thinks he was just pre-signing
them in the hopes it would increase sale chances.
Just for fun I posed a question to ChatGPT to estimate the number of
copies each book would sell based on all available factors and to assess
the probability it would sell over 5000 copies.-a Here is the relevant
part of the AI's analysis:
Great question rCo fun to treat this like a small forecasting problem. I looked up each bookrCOs publisher and launch timing, the authorsrCO audience footprints, and a few industry baseline statistics, then combined those
into a simple, transparent forecast (IrCOll show assumptions so you can adjust them if you want).
Quick headline (short answer)
rCo-a-a-a Rob Cesternino rCo The Tribe and I Have Spoken (Atria / Simon & Schuster): ~60% chance it will sell >5,000 copies.
Median/most-likely lifetime sales: ~4,000rCo7,000 copies (plausible range: 2,000rCo15,000).
rCo-a-a-a Taran Armstrong rCo Behind the Mirror (Sourcebooks): ~35% chance it
will sell >5,000 copies.
Median/most-likely lifetime sales: ~2,000rCo4,000 copies (plausible range: 1,000rCo8,000).
Below I show how I got those numbers and the main sources I used. ________________________________________
What I found (facts that matter)
rCo-a-a-a RobrCOs book is being published by Atria Books (Simon & Schuster) with a May 5, 2026 pub date rCo major trade-publisher distribution and marketing support. Simon & Schuster
rCo-a-a-a TaranrCOs book is being published by Sourcebooks (mid-size trade publisher) with a Nov 25, 2025 pub date; he has active social presence
and a Patreon. sourcebooks.com+1
rCo-a-a-a Author/audience signals: RobrCOs RHAP network shows an engaged community (site, Patreon ~2,500 patrons, long-running podcast with many episodes and platform presence). Taran has a sizable social reach (X/ Twitter ~72k followers; Instagram ~16k; active Patreon). These are
strong niche fandom signals. RobHasAwebsite.com+2X (formerly Twitter)+2 rCo-a-a-a Industry baselines: most newly published books sell well under 5,000 copies. Multiple industry writeups note that the average new book sells a few hundred copies in retail channels, and a large majority of
new titles sell fewer than 5,000 copies. (These are the baseline rCLpriorrCY probabilities). ideas.bkconnection.com+1 ________________________________________
How I turned that into a probability / sales forecast
I combined a baseline industry prior with modifiers for (a) publisher size/marketing, (b) author platform and direct audience, and (c)
subject / fandom strength.
1.-a-a-a Baseline prior: industry studies (and publishing-industry commentary) imply the prior probability a random newly published book
sells reN5,000 copies is very low (single-digit percent). I used a conservative prior of ~5% for a random new trade title. nathanbransford.com+1
2.-a-a-a Publisher uplift: a major publisher (Atria / Simon & Schuster) materially raises the chance of hitting 5k vs. a small/indie press. I modeled that as a large multiplier on the prior for Rob (because of bookstore placement, review outreach, likely advertising/PR) and a
moderate multiplier for Sourcebooks (solid mid-list publisher but
smaller reach than S&S).
3.-a-a-a Author platform (direct conversion): both authors have direct audiences. Useful conservative rule-of-thumbs I used:
o-a-a-a Convert a small fraction of an authorrCOs core audience (patrons, superfans, newsletter subscribers) into buyers quickly (say 10rCo30% of patrons/supporters). Then add a smaller fraction of social followers/ listeners (0.5rCo5%) for early sales. These produce a plausible early
sales floor (preorders + early buyers).
o-a-a-a Rob example: 2,500 patrons raA 10rCo25% buy = 250rCo625 copies; plus a
larger podcast listener base (tens of thousands of regular listeners)
where 1rCo5% might buy across time raA adds ~500rCo2,500. With publisher distribution & retail sales, that moves the expectation into the thousands. o-a-a-a Taran example: Patreon + ~72k Twitter + Instagram/other presence raA converts but at lower absolute levels than RobrCOs multimodal, long-time RHAP brand.
4.-a-a-a Fandom / subject: both books are about extremely engaged TV
fandoms (Survivor, Big Brother). Titles in devoted fandoms tend to do
better than general nonfiction on a per-title basis, but they still vary widely (some fandom books fail; others break out). I gave an extra bump
for rCLhighly engaged fandomrCY but not enormous because fandoms are large but purchases are concentrated among the most active fans.
5.-a-a-a Putting it together: I combined the uplift factors qualitatively and produced a probabilistic estimate and a plausible sales distribution rather than a precise single number. (If you want, I can formalize this
into a numeric Bayesian calculation rCo but the broad conclusions will be the same.)
________________________________________
Numerical summary (final forecast)
Rob Cesternino rCo The Tribe and I Have Spoken (Atria)
rCo-a-a-a Estimated chance of >5,000 copies: ~60%.
rCo-a-a-a Median (most likely) lifetime sales: ~5,000 copies (I gave the median range 4,000rCo7,000).
rCo-a-a-a Plausible 90% interval: 2,000 to 15,000 copies.
Why: major publisher backing + long-running, highly engaged RHAP
community + strong podcast presence and a concentrated base of patrons/ listeners that can drive early sales and word-of-mouth. The biggest uncertainties are: how much marketing the publisher allocates, and
whether the book breaks out beyond the core fanbase into the broader pop-culture readers. Simon & Schuster+1
Taran Armstrong rCo Behind the Mirror (Sourcebooks)
rCo-a-a-a Estimated chance of >5,000 copies: ~35%.
rCo-a-a-a Median (most likely) lifetime sales: ~2,500rCo3,500 copies (I condensed to ~3,000).
rCo-a-a-a Plausible 90% interval: 1,000 to 8,000 copies.
Why: Sourcebooks is a reputable publisher and Taran has a large social following in the Big Brother community (and audiobook preorders), which gives a realistic shot at crossing 5k rCo but his platform is less
obviously monetized into book buyers at RobrCOs level, and SourcebooksrCO reach is more modest than a top-tier imprint. sourcebooks.com+2X
(formerly Twitter)+2
________________________________________
Key caveats / uncertainty drivers
rCo-a-a-a rCLSalesrCY means lifetime retail + e-book + audio sales in the U.S.
and typical English-language markets. BookScan/Circana is the usual
reported channel; actual totals can be higher if the publisher sells big bulk/box orders, library sales, or international rights.
rCo-a-a-a Publisher marketing decisions matter hugely. An imprint push (book festivals, national media interviews, placement in big retailers) can
push a title from ~3k to 10k+. Conversely, limited marketing keeps it
near the author-direct audience floor.
rCo-a-a-a Timing and competing titles. Release date proximity to major celebrity memoirs or cultural moments can help or hurt.
rCo-a-a-a Fandom dynamics. Fan communities can sustain unusually high conversion, but conversions are concentrated (many fans follow but donrCOt purchase every title).
rCo-a-a-a Baseline industry trend: most books sell far fewer than 5k copies rCo
so while both authors have advantages, crossing 5k is still nontrivial. ideas.bkconnection.com+1
________________________________________
Sources I used (most important)
rCo-a-a-a Rob Cesternino / Atria book page (book details, pub date, publisher). Simon & Schuster
rCo-a-a-a Taran Armstrong book pages / Sourcebooks listing and the authorrCOs
site (pub date, publisher, retailer listings, social/audience signals). sourcebooks.com+1
rCo-a-a-a Industry baselines on average book sales / fraction under 5,000 copies and commentary. ideas.bkconnection.com+1
rCo-a-a-a Notes about celebrity memoir performance / breakout titles to show the range of outcomes. Morning Brew+1
rCo-a-a-a Author platform evidence (RHAP audience / patrons; Taran social follower counts and Patreon). RobHasAwebsite.com+1
On 11/25/2025 6:47 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/25/2025 4:20 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 9:31 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 10:02 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:30 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:46 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 3:36 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 4:48 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 8:09 AM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 3:08 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
Rob Cesternino announces his new book which will release on >>>>>>>>>>> Michele Fitzgerald's birthday May 5, 2026. It can be pre- >>>>>>>>>>> ordered at http:// robhasabook.com #survivor #survivor49 >>>>>>>>>>> @RobHasApodcast
-a-a@robcesternino
Source: https://x.com/anthonyd46/status/1987306152640585907 >>>>>>>>>>>
I wonder whose book will sell more copies: Jeff's or Rob's? >>>>>>>>>>>
I don't think that will happen.-a Survivor is a popular, high-rated >>>>>> show, but the number of viewers that would actually embrace an
analytical book about the show's history is probably a small
fraction of the viewership. -a-aVery few books about TV shows sell >>>>>> all that many copies, and offhand I can't think of a major best
seller that was devoted to a reality show. More to the point,
maybe, is that book buying in general has declined significantly
in the last several years due to the ready availability of product >>>>>> online.
Costs to publish books are also way down. How is Fishbach's book
selling? If Rob sells 10K copies of his book I think it will be a
huge success for him.
Fishbach's book is in pre-sales.-a Nothing has been announced, but I
would guess his pre-sales orders are under 100.
I seriously doubt Rob can sell 10,000 copies.-a If he can get to a
couple thousand, I think he will be doing good.
This is interesting. Taran Armstrong, who covers BB for RHAP, wrote a
book covering 25 years of the show that was officially released
today. Based on his post, he must have had at least 4,200 presales.
Seeing that number now has me wondering if that inspired Rob to write
a book? It's also possible that Fishbach's presales are great.Unless
there's a ton of competition, Rob should be able to easily sell 10K
copies of his book.
It says he signed 4200 copies, not that they actually sold that many.
The way the books are stacked makes me thinks he was just pre-signing
them in the hopes it would increase sale chances.
They're sold copies. You need to remember that presales started ages
ago. Jeff's and Rob's books have been available to order for a while and they're not coming out until next May. I've seen numerous people say
they got their signed copies a week or two ago. Maybe as an incentive to preorder he promised signed copies. A lot of people rely on him for
their daily live feeds recaps and in-depth interviews, so having
presales of 4,200 does not surprise me.
Just for fun I posed a question to ChatGPT to estimate the number of
copies each book would sell based on all available factors and to
assess the probability it would sell over 5000 copies.-a Here is the
relevant part of the AI's analysis:
Great question rCo fun to treat this like a small forecasting problem. I
looked up each bookrCOs publisher and launch timing, the authorsrCO
audience footprints, and a few industry baseline statistics, then
combined those into a simple, transparent forecast (IrCOll show
assumptions so you can adjust them if you want).
Quick headline (short answer)
rCo-a-a-a Rob Cesternino rCo The Tribe and I Have Spoken (Atria / Simon & >> Schuster): ~60% chance it will sell >5,000 copies.
Median/most-likely lifetime sales: ~4,000rCo7,000 copies (plausible
range: 2,000rCo15,000).
rCo-a-a-a Taran Armstrong rCo Behind the Mirror (Sourcebooks): ~35% chance it
will sell >5,000 copies.
Median/most-likely lifetime sales: ~2,000rCo4,000 copies (plausible
range: 1,000rCo8,000).
Below I show how I got those numbers and the main sources I used.
________________________________________
What I found (facts that matter)
rCo-a-a-a RobrCOs book is being published by Atria Books (Simon & Schuster) >> with a May 5, 2026 pub date rCo major trade-publisher distribution and
marketing support. Simon & Schuster
rCo-a-a-a TaranrCOs book is being published by Sourcebooks (mid-size trade >> publisher) with a Nov 25, 2025 pub date; he has active social presence
and a Patreon. sourcebooks.com+1
rCo-a-a-a Author/audience signals: RobrCOs RHAP network shows an engaged
community (site, Patreon ~2,500 patrons, long-running podcast with
many episodes and platform presence). Taran has a sizable social reach
(X/ Twitter ~72k followers; Instagram ~16k; active Patreon). These are
strong niche fandom signals. RobHasAwebsite.com+2X (formerly Twitter)+2
rCo-a-a-a Industry baselines: most newly published books sell well under
5,000 copies. Multiple industry writeups note that the average new
book sells a few hundred copies in retail channels, and a large
majority of new titles sell fewer than 5,000 copies. (These are the
baseline rCLpriorrCY probabilities). ideas.bkconnection.com+1
________________________________________
How I turned that into a probability / sales forecast
I combined a baseline industry prior with modifiers for (a) publisher
size/marketing, (b) author platform and direct audience, and (c)
subject / fandom strength.
1.-a-a-a Baseline prior: industry studies (and publishing-industry
commentary) imply the prior probability a random newly published book
sells reN5,000 copies is very low (single-digit percent). I used a
conservative prior of ~5% for a random new trade title.
nathanbransford.com+1
2.-a-a-a Publisher uplift: a major publisher (Atria / Simon & Schuster)
materially raises the chance of hitting 5k vs. a small/indie press. I
modeled that as a large multiplier on the prior for Rob (because of
bookstore placement, review outreach, likely advertising/PR) and a
moderate multiplier for Sourcebooks (solid mid-list publisher but
smaller reach than S&S).
3.-a-a-a Author platform (direct conversion): both authors have direct
audiences. Useful conservative rule-of-thumbs I used:
o-a-a-a Convert a small fraction of an authorrCOs core audience (patrons, >> superfans, newsletter subscribers) into buyers quickly (say 10rCo30% of
patrons/supporters). Then add a smaller fraction of social followers/
listeners (0.5rCo5%) for early sales. These produce a plausible early
sales floor (preorders + early buyers).
o-a-a-a Rob example: 2,500 patrons raA 10rCo25% buy = 250rCo625 copies; plus a
larger podcast listener base (tens of thousands of regular listeners)
where 1rCo5% might buy across time raA adds ~500rCo2,500. With publisher
distribution & retail sales, that moves the expectation into the
thousands.
o-a-a-a Taran example: Patreon + ~72k Twitter + Instagram/other presence
raA converts but at lower absolute levels than RobrCOs multimodal,
long-time RHAP brand.
4.-a-a-a Fandom / subject: both books are about extremely engaged TV
fandoms (Survivor, Big Brother). Titles in devoted fandoms tend to do
better than general nonfiction on a per-title basis, but they still
vary widely (some fandom books fail; others break out). I gave an
extra bump for rCLhighly engaged fandomrCY but not enormous because
fandoms are large but purchases are concentrated among the most active
fans.
5.-a-a-a Putting it together: I combined the uplift factors qualitatively >> and produced a probabilistic estimate and a plausible sales
distribution rather than a precise single number. (If you want, I can
formalize this into a numeric Bayesian calculation rCo but the broad
conclusions will be the same.)
________________________________________
Numerical summary (final forecast)
Rob Cesternino rCo The Tribe and I Have Spoken (Atria)
rCo-a-a-a Estimated chance of >5,000 copies: ~60%.
rCo-a-a-a Median (most likely) lifetime sales: ~5,000 copies (I gave the
median range 4,000rCo7,000).
rCo-a-a-a Plausible 90% interval: 2,000 to 15,000 copies.
Why: major publisher backing + long-running, highly engaged RHAP
community + strong podcast presence and a concentrated base of
patrons/ listeners that can drive early sales and word-of-mouth. The
biggest uncertainties are: how much marketing the publisher allocates,
and whether the book breaks out beyond the core fanbase into the
broader pop-culture readers. Simon & Schuster+1
Taran Armstrong rCo Behind the Mirror (Sourcebooks)
rCo-a-a-a Estimated chance of >5,000 copies: ~35%.
rCo-a-a-a Median (most likely) lifetime sales: ~2,500rCo3,500 copies (I
condensed to ~3,000).
rCo-a-a-a Plausible 90% interval: 1,000 to 8,000 copies.
Why: Sourcebooks is a reputable publisher and Taran has a large social
following in the Big Brother community (and audiobook preorders),
which gives a realistic shot at crossing 5k rCo but his platform is less
obviously monetized into book buyers at RobrCOs level, and SourcebooksrCO >> reach is more modest than a top-tier imprint. sourcebooks.com+2X
(formerly Twitter)+2
________________________________________
Key caveats / uncertainty drivers
rCo-a-a-a rCLSalesrCY means lifetime retail + e-book + audio sales in the U.S.
and typical English-language markets. BookScan/Circana is the usual
reported channel; actual totals can be higher if the publisher sells
big bulk/box orders, library sales, or international rights.
rCo-a-a-a Publisher marketing decisions matter hugely. An imprint push
(book festivals, national media interviews, placement in big
retailers) can push a title from ~3k to 10k+. Conversely, limited
marketing keeps it near the author-direct audience floor.
rCo-a-a-a Timing and competing titles. Release date proximity to major
celebrity memoirs or cultural moments can help or hurt.
rCo-a-a-a Fandom dynamics. Fan communities can sustain unusually high
conversion, but conversions are concentrated (many fans follow but
donrCOt purchase every title).
rCo-a-a-a Baseline industry trend: most books sell far fewer than 5k copies >> rCo so while both authors have advantages, crossing 5k is still
nontrivial. ideas.bkconnection.com+1
________________________________________
Sources I used (most important)
rCo-a-a-a Rob Cesternino / Atria book page (book details, pub date,
publisher). Simon & Schuster
rCo-a-a-a Taran Armstrong book pages / Sourcebooks listing and the authorrCOs
site (pub date, publisher, retailer listings, social/audience
signals). sourcebooks.com+1
rCo-a-a-a Industry baselines on average book sales / fraction under 5,000 >> copies and commentary. ideas.bkconnection.com+1
rCo-a-a-a Notes about celebrity memoir performance / breakout titles to
show the range of outcomes. Morning Brew+1
rCo-a-a-a Author platform evidence (RHAP audience / patrons; Taran social >> follower counts and Patreon). RobHasAwebsite.com+1
Unless Taran's lying, the AI models have been proven wrong. It's funny
how one of them mentions that Rob has RHAP and doesn't seem to realize
that Taran's part of that empire. If preorders sucked, I doubt like hell
he would have went to LA for a week to record an audio version of the book.
On 11/25/2025 9:36 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/25/2025 6:47 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/25/2025 4:20 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 9:31 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 10:02 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:30 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:46 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 3:36 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 4:48 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 8:09 AM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 3:08 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
Rob Cesternino announces his new book which will release on >>>>>>>>>>>> Michele Fitzgerald's birthday May 5, 2026. It can be pre- >>>>>>>>>>>> ordered at http:// robhasabook.com #survivor #survivor49 >>>>>>>>>>>> @RobHasApodcast
-a-a@robcesternino
Source: https://x.com/anthonyd46/status/1987306152640585907 >>>>>>>>>>>>
I wonder whose book will sell more copies: Jeff's or Rob's? >>>>>>>>>>>>
I don't think that will happen.-a Survivor is a popular, high-
rated show, but the number of viewers that would actually embrace >>>>>>> an analytical book about the show's history is probably a small >>>>>>> fraction of the viewership. -a-aVery few books about TV shows sell >>>>>>> all that many copies, and offhand I can't think of a major best >>>>>>> seller that was devoted to a reality show. More to the point,
maybe, is that book buying in general has declined significantly >>>>>>> in the last several years due to the ready availability of
product online.
Costs to publish books are also way down. How is Fishbach's book
selling? If Rob sells 10K copies of his book I think it will be a >>>>>> huge success for him.
Fishbach's book is in pre-sales.-a Nothing has been announced, but I >>>>> would guess his pre-sales orders are under 100.
I seriously doubt Rob can sell 10,000 copies.-a If he can get to a
couple thousand, I think he will be doing good.
This is interesting. Taran Armstrong, who covers BB for RHAP, wrote
a book covering 25 years of the show that was officially released
today. Based on his post, he must have had at least 4,200 presales.
Seeing that number now has me wondering if that inspired Rob to
write a book? It's also possible that Fishbach's presales are
great.Unless there's a ton of competition, Rob should be able to
easily sell 10K copies of his book.
It says he signed 4200 copies, not that they actually sold that many.
The way the books are stacked makes me thinks he was just pre-signing
them in the hopes it would increase sale chances.
They're sold copies. You need to remember that presales started ages
ago. Jeff's and Rob's books have been available to order for a while
and they're not coming out until next May. I've seen numerous people
say they got their signed copies a week or two ago. Maybe as an
incentive to preorder he promised signed copies. A lot of people rely
on him for their daily live feeds recaps and in-depth interviews, so
having presales of 4,200 does not surprise me.
If he actually said he sold 4200 copies, then fine.-a The Instagram post
you referenced only said he was signing 4200 copies.-a I didn't see where
it said he had actually sold that many.-a That seems like a lot to me for
a niche book like this.-a But if he did say it, then good for him!
Just for fun I posed a question to ChatGPT to estimate the number of
copies each book would sell based on all available factors and to
assess the probability it would sell over 5000 copies.-a Here is the
relevant part of the AI's analysis:
Great question rCo fun to treat this like a small forecasting problem.
I looked up each bookrCOs publisher and launch timing, the authorsrCO
audience footprints, and a few industry baseline statistics, then
combined those into a simple, transparent forecast (IrCOll show
assumptions so you can adjust them if you want).
Quick headline (short answer)
rCo-a-a-a Rob Cesternino rCo The Tribe and I Have Spoken (Atria / Simon & >>> Schuster): ~60% chance it will sell >5,000 copies.
Median/most-likely lifetime sales: ~4,000rCo7,000 copies (plausible
range: 2,000rCo15,000).
rCo-a-a-a Taran Armstrong rCo Behind the Mirror (Sourcebooks): ~35% chance >>> it will sell >5,000 copies.
Median/most-likely lifetime sales: ~2,000rCo4,000 copies (plausible
range: 1,000rCo8,000).
Below I show how I got those numbers and the main sources I used.
________________________________________
What I found (facts that matter)
rCo-a-a-a RobrCOs book is being published by Atria Books (Simon & Schuster)
with a May 5, 2026 pub date rCo major trade-publisher distribution and
marketing support. Simon & Schuster
rCo-a-a-a TaranrCOs book is being published by Sourcebooks (mid-size trade >>> publisher) with a Nov 25, 2025 pub date; he has active social
presence and a Patreon. sourcebooks.com+1
rCo-a-a-a Author/audience signals: RobrCOs RHAP network shows an engaged >>> community (site, Patreon ~2,500 patrons, long-running podcast with
many episodes and platform presence). Taran has a sizable social
reach (X/ Twitter ~72k followers; Instagram ~16k; active Patreon).
These are strong niche fandom signals. RobHasAwebsite.com+2X
(formerly Twitter)+2
rCo-a-a-a Industry baselines: most newly published books sell well under >>> 5,000 copies. Multiple industry writeups note that the average new
book sells a few hundred copies in retail channels, and a large
majority of new titles sell fewer than 5,000 copies. (These are the
baseline rCLpriorrCY probabilities). ideas.bkconnection.com+1
________________________________________
How I turned that into a probability / sales forecast
I combined a baseline industry prior with modifiers for (a) publisher
size/marketing, (b) author platform and direct audience, and (c)
subject / fandom strength.
1.-a-a-a Baseline prior: industry studies (and publishing-industry
commentary) imply the prior probability a random newly published book
sells reN5,000 copies is very low (single-digit percent). I used a
conservative prior of ~5% for a random new trade title.
nathanbransford.com+1
2.-a-a-a Publisher uplift: a major publisher (Atria / Simon & Schuster) >>> materially raises the chance of hitting 5k vs. a small/indie press. I
modeled that as a large multiplier on the prior for Rob (because of
bookstore placement, review outreach, likely advertising/PR) and a
moderate multiplier for Sourcebooks (solid mid-list publisher but
smaller reach than S&S).
3.-a-a-a Author platform (direct conversion): both authors have direct
audiences. Useful conservative rule-of-thumbs I used:
o-a-a-a Convert a small fraction of an authorrCOs core audience (patrons, >>> superfans, newsletter subscribers) into buyers quickly (say 10rCo30% of >>> patrons/supporters). Then add a smaller fraction of social followers/
listeners (0.5rCo5%) for early sales. These produce a plausible early
sales floor (preorders + early buyers).
o-a-a-a Rob example: 2,500 patrons raA 10rCo25% buy = 250rCo625 copies; plus a
larger podcast listener base (tens of thousands of regular listeners)
where 1rCo5% might buy across time raA adds ~500rCo2,500. With publisher >>> distribution & retail sales, that moves the expectation into the
thousands.
o-a-a-a Taran example: Patreon + ~72k Twitter + Instagram/other presence >>> raA converts but at lower absolute levels than RobrCOs multimodal, long- >>> time RHAP brand.
4.-a-a-a Fandom / subject: both books are about extremely engaged TV
fandoms (Survivor, Big Brother). Titles in devoted fandoms tend to do
better than general nonfiction on a per-title basis, but they still
vary widely (some fandom books fail; others break out). I gave an
extra bump for rCLhighly engaged fandomrCY but not enormous because
fandoms are large but purchases are concentrated among the most
active fans.
5.-a-a-a Putting it together: I combined the uplift factors
qualitatively and produced a probabilistic estimate and a plausible
sales distribution rather than a precise single number. (If you want,
I can formalize this into a numeric Bayesian calculation rCo but the
broad conclusions will be the same.)
________________________________________
Numerical summary (final forecast)
Rob Cesternino rCo The Tribe and I Have Spoken (Atria)
rCo-a-a-a Estimated chance of >5,000 copies: ~60%.
rCo-a-a-a Median (most likely) lifetime sales: ~5,000 copies (I gave the >>> median range 4,000rCo7,000).
rCo-a-a-a Plausible 90% interval: 2,000 to 15,000 copies.
Why: major publisher backing + long-running, highly engaged RHAP
community + strong podcast presence and a concentrated base of
patrons/ listeners that can drive early sales and word-of-mouth. The
biggest uncertainties are: how much marketing the publisher
allocates, and whether the book breaks out beyond the core fanbase
into the broader pop-culture readers. Simon & Schuster+1
Taran Armstrong rCo Behind the Mirror (Sourcebooks)
rCo-a-a-a Estimated chance of >5,000 copies: ~35%.
rCo-a-a-a Median (most likely) lifetime sales: ~2,500rCo3,500 copies (I >>> condensed to ~3,000).
rCo-a-a-a Plausible 90% interval: 1,000 to 8,000 copies.
Why: Sourcebooks is a reputable publisher and Taran has a large
social following in the Big Brother community (and audiobook
preorders), which gives a realistic shot at crossing 5k rCo but his
platform is less obviously monetized into book buyers at RobrCOs level, >>> and SourcebooksrCO reach is more modest than a top-tier imprint.
sourcebooks.com+2X (formerly Twitter)+2
________________________________________
Key caveats / uncertainty drivers
rCo-a-a-a rCLSalesrCY means lifetime retail + e-book + audio sales in the U.S.
and typical English-language markets. BookScan/Circana is the usual
reported channel; actual totals can be higher if the publisher sells
big bulk/box orders, library sales, or international rights.
rCo-a-a-a Publisher marketing decisions matter hugely. An imprint push
(book festivals, national media interviews, placement in big
retailers) can push a title from ~3k to 10k+. Conversely, limited
marketing keeps it near the author-direct audience floor.
rCo-a-a-a Timing and competing titles. Release date proximity to major
celebrity memoirs or cultural moments can help or hurt.
rCo-a-a-a Fandom dynamics. Fan communities can sustain unusually high
conversion, but conversions are concentrated (many fans follow but
donrCOt purchase every title).
rCo-a-a-a Baseline industry trend: most books sell far fewer than 5k
copies rCo so while both authors have advantages, crossing 5k is still
nontrivial. ideas.bkconnection.com+1
________________________________________
Sources I used (most important)
rCo-a-a-a Rob Cesternino / Atria book page (book details, pub date,
publisher). Simon & Schuster
rCo-a-a-a Taran Armstrong book pages / Sourcebooks listing and the
authorrCOs site (pub date, publisher, retailer listings, social/
audience signals). sourcebooks.com+1
rCo-a-a-a Industry baselines on average book sales / fraction under 5,000 >>> copies and commentary. ideas.bkconnection.com+1
rCo-a-a-a Notes about celebrity memoir performance / breakout titles to >>> show the range of outcomes. Morning Brew+1
rCo-a-a-a Author platform evidence (RHAP audience / patrons; Taran social >>> follower counts and Patreon). RobHasAwebsite.com+1
Unless Taran's lying, the AI models have been proven wrong. It's funny
how one of them mentions that Rob has RHAP and doesn't seem to realize
that Taran's part of that empire. If preorders sucked, I doubt like
hell he would have went to LA for a week to record an audio version of
the book.
Why?-a He lived in LA before for many years and no doubt has many friends and maybe even family out there.-a Both of his children were born there
and his wife Nicole worked there for many years.-a Besides, he would
write off the trip as a business expense.
And while Taran has done shows for RHAP, he does not have anything close
to the connection Rob has with the network he created and which is named
for him.-a I've listened to RHAP for years for its Survivor and TAR
coverage and was only vaguely aware of Taran and had no idea he too had authored a book.-a Sure he will get a bit of an RHAP bounce but not like what Rob gets.
Let's just wait and see what happens with the sales of all three books
(Rob, Stephan and Taran) and check back in a year or two to see how many copies they all sell.-a I remain doubtful that any will break 10,000
copies because I just don't think books sell as much as they used to. Nowadays, very few authors sell even close to that number, particulalry first-time authors.-a But if any or all three do exceptionally well with their sales, I say good for them!
On 11/25/2025 9:36 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/25/2025 6:47 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/25/2025 4:20 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 9:31 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 10:02 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:30 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 6:46 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 3:36 PM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 4:48 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
On 11/10/2025 8:09 AM, Rick wrote:
On 11/10/2025 3:08 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
Rob Cesternino announces his new book which will release on >>>>>>>>>>>> Michele Fitzgerald's birthday May 5, 2026. It can be pre- >>>>>>>>>>>> ordered at http:// robhasabook.com #survivor #survivor49 >>>>>>>>>>>> @RobHasApodcast
-a-a@robcesternino
Source: https://x.com/anthonyd46/status/1987306152640585907 >>>>>>>>>>>>
Let's just wait and see what happens with the sales of all three books
(Rob, Stephan and Taran) and check back in a year or two to see how many copies they all sell.-a I remain doubtful that any will break 10,000
copies because I just don't think books sell as much as they used to. Nowadays, very few authors sell even close to that number, particulalry first-time authors.-a But if any or all three do exceptionally well with their sales, I say good for them!
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