Season 13 wraps up Sunday night, with some changes to keep players and viewers a little off balance. Among them:

* A finale that begins with five players remaining.

* Three finalists instead of the usual two.

* The possibility of a three-way tie at the final tribal council.

Burnett and host Jeff Probst reveal the details of the Survivor finale in the new TV Guide. Jeff says there was a mixed reaction among the Final Four that three of them, not two, would head to the final Tribal Council: ""A couple are excited because it gives them an extra shot at the million. But for the other two, there is a sense of dread-- they realize the strategy they had been planning won't work."

The larger jury-- raised to nine from seven-- adds the possibility of a tie in the final vote. It also leads to more "rancor, bile and wacko questions" from castoffs on the jury.

Burnett reveals that the finale's first challenge "is the hardest puzzle we've ever done." The winner takes 25 minutes to solve it.

The Final Four's last immunity challenge involves balancing on a very small post that gets smaller and smaller-- 10 feet above the water. Says Jeff: "It required balance but also intense concentration and pain tolerance, because it was made of steel and was not comfortable," Probst explains.

The million dollar prize will be awarded at the CBS Studios in Los Angeles, where they've recreated the tribal council shipwreck.

Burnett on the final six:

Yul: "He has that dangerous combination of being extremely likable and extremely cerebral. He used the immunity idol in a very smart way, and it actually turned the game."

Ozzy: "He's one of the greatest challenge players we've ever had, up there with Terry and Colby. He certainly is a target."

Adam: "There's no question that we've focused on his alliance with Candice, but he's a very strong player. He might be more clever than we think." (Candice, who was booted a couple of weeks ago, was "near genius," says Burnett, but Adam was "her Achilles heel.")

Becky: "She may be playing a clever, silent but deadly game in that she's letting [ally] Yul take all the heat [while], for much of the show, she has been under the radar."

Parvati: "Parvati's a good athlete and can be a very strong challenge player, and she's not afraid to use her sexuality."

Sundra: "Sundra has offended nobody, and is the kind of person who can go to the end because she's not seen as a threat. And if she gets to the end-- everyone likes her."

The two-hour finale airs Sunday at 8 pm. Survivor: Fiji is set to debut in February.

--Tabloid Baby

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Last Comment: jack on Dec 12, 2006 11:34 AM.