Posted on 05/14/2007 9:40:58 AM PDT by cuz_it_aint_their_money
Join 16 modern-day pirates as they embark on a high seas adventure around the Caribbean island of Dominica in search of hidden treasure that will total $1 million. Over the course of 33 days, the pirates will live aboard a massive 179-foot pirate ship.
Each week, these buccaneers will go on extraordinary expeditions and decipher clues along the way. Gold coins - real money that the pirates can take with them beyond the show - will be awarded after each treasure hunt, but only to some. The prized gold will then play a key role as pirates strike deals with each other and vie for long-term security.
Claiming the lion's share of the week's riches, one pirate will become the captain of the ship and will assign roles and chores to the remaining crew members, setting the tone for law and order or betrayal and sabotage, which could lead to mutiny by the crew. Such fates will be decided on the ship at Pirate's Court, a lively gathering of public speaking and judgment where one individual will be "cut adrift" every episode.
In the end, captain or not, only one pirate will win the largest booty, worth $500,000, and claim the title of "Pirate Master."
Looks like a crew of hippie, new age kids - or is it that I’m getting to be an old fart?
As was said it looks like a bunch of high maintenance kids.
RE Jupiter: Believe it or not, Cuz, there is an historical instance of lesbian pirates. Fascinating story, actually.
“Looks like a crew of hippie, new age kids - or is it that I’m getting to be an old fart?”
Definitely the former. You’ll have to be your own judge on the latter.
Christa - an unemployeed wannabe who joined the Army on a whim. Her time to walk the plank will depend on how she fills out her eye patch.
Christian - he had me until the protein powders. The youngsters will feed him to the sharks soon.
Jay - depending on his attitude, this bad boy might go far
J.D. - I’m thinking I like this guy. He seems like a loner but would be loyal to his alliance.
John - someone needs to come out of the closet. I can see John flirting with both genders to keep himself afloat. I can also see him stabing his alliance in the back and ticking folks off. Nope, he won’t get the treasure chest.
Joy - not enough about her to decide but she too sounds like another who isn’t living up to her potential.
Jupiter - as if having two pet snails was lame, this freak has a pet one-eyed gold fish. Did Mark hire all these low lifes straight from the circus?
Kendra - can’t decide if she’s jumping off the plank in Ep. 1 or she has enough spunk to sail a few voyages.
Laurel - did the casting director decide he/she was going to save the world from homeless people? What happened to her dog after the van was impounded and she signed up for the show?
Louie - Could we hope for a Rupert II? He might be too old for the youngsters to keep around unless he surprises us with some political savvy.
Nessa - what’s with all the wasted potential? Well, let’s see we know the casting director slummed around CA for all the carnival folk and then went on vacation to Alaska.
Sean - either he’ll be smitten with John by the time the parrot speaks or we’re in for a rousing cat fight.
Louie Frase, Age – 43,
Marina Owner, Fishing Creek, MD
I’m thinking “My gosh - its RUPERT!!!”
Livin' in a van down by the river...
As I said last week, this is a lengthy read, but well worth it for the background information it provides.
Legend has it that in the year 1726, Captain Henry Steel was among the most revered and feared pirates of all. In fact, he was known to have looted over 100 ships in just one year.
But Captain Steel's legend was lost, along with all of his treasure as his incredible story faded over time, into the realm of mythology.
Over the years, many treasure hunters have sought the reputed treasure of Captain Henry Steel and thus prove the myth that he and his fearless, yet small crew, ever existed. To this day, every one of these missions has failed. Yet each has discovered crumbs of evidence that have lead many to believe that the myth is in fact real, that Captain Steel was the greatest pirate of all and that his incredible bounty is still, to this day, waiting to be found.
The story has been passed down through the generations and recorded evidence exist that one Henry Steel did exist and was a ship's captain at the time the legend was generated. But this is all that can be proven and so the questions remain. Was he a pirate? And does his treasure exist?
If legend is to be believed, Captain Steel sailed for a relatively short period aboard his vessel known as the Ruby Dagger. It was not a large ship and Steel preferred to sail with a relatively small crew, just thirteen pirates, modest by the standards of the day.
By the time the Ruby Dagger had circumnavigated the globe, then sailed south though the Caribbean, she had found her way to the mysterious island of Dominica. The Ruby Dagger had left some 117 ships in her wake and was full to the gunnels with looted treasures from around the world. But she was not alone. Throughout the year 1726, Steel and his crew had developed quite a reputation and a long list of shipping companies, governments and monarchies, all keen to see an end to his pirating ways. So at this point, HMS Gallant, a warship of the crown, sent on the direct order of the King, was closing in on the Ruby Dagger.
Said to be from that very time, one of the recent treasure hunters found a piece of driftwood with the inscription,
"We be brave, we be bold, but with king's men starboard stern, we be sure to not grow old".
Believers of Steel's legend are certain that this is, in fact, a piece of the Ruby Dagger and written by one of the crew at the very time that the Ruby Dagger was being chased by the Royal Navy frigate.
Captain Steel was faced with a difficult decision: Try and outrun the much larger and more equipped warship, or turn, fight and take his chances. Time was not on his side. In sight of Dominica's mountain peek, Steel was aware he had only a few days before he would be face to face with his nemesis.
On the main deck of the Ruby Dagger, Captain Steel gathered his entire crew and informed them of the situation. He had a plan, but it would take a majority vote of the entire crew to put his plan into action. As Steel spoke, he perched himself atop his prized possession, the Chest of Zanzibar.
Ironically, this chest, a labyrinth design of multiple compartments, was actually purchased by Steel, with real pieces of eight, albeit ones stolen from other ships. On a restock and refit in North Africa, Steel eyed the beautiful chest in a local bazaar in Zanzibar. He fancied it for a trophy. Recognizing the modest dwellings of its artisan creator, Steel paid the full asking price without hesitation.
Steel never quite knew how he might use the chest at the time, but here in the Caribbean with the enemy closing in, the Chest of Zanzibar was about to become the centerpiece of his master plan.
Captain Steel laid it out for the crew. Dominica, a relatively egalitarian community, was sympathetic to pirates. For a small fee, Steel knew that the Ruby Dagger would be granted safe harbor and the crew given the opportunity to come ashore.
With this in mind, each pirate was to take a share of their enormous treasure and hide it somewhere on this island of Dominica. They were also to hide a key with their treasure. Using their skill and all they had learned from Steel, they were to make sure the treasure would never be found without a map that they would also create. Then every pirate was to return to the captain with two maps to each treasure for safety. The captain's plan was to lock both maps in a compartment of the Chest of Zanzibar.
The Chest of Zanzibar had fifteen compartments, enough to dedicate each compartment to one of the hidden treasures. Steel explained to the crew that he would lock every compartment on the chest and destroy the keys he used to lock them. This meant that the only keys that existed to these compartments were those found in the treasures. So one find would lead to another compartment and this, in turn, would lead to another treasure.
Once the last drawer was locked and the ship's keys destroyed, the treasure could only be found in a particular order. They would all lead to the largest treasure, Captain Henry Steel's own priceless booty that he was planning to hide himself. In the fifteenth and final compartment, Steel was to place a map of the entire island with an 'x' on every spot where treasures of gold were buried.
As Captain Steel carefully explained the plan, his crew knew what was coming next. Steel was never one to shy away from a fight and so they knew that once the treasure was hidden, the Ruby Dagger was to then turn and confront her pursuer in an all-out battle. It was a battle from which the pirates may not return. Any survivors from this tiny crew could head back to Dominica and using the clues hidden inside the Chest of Zanzibar, recover the treasure and split it amongst them.
On the deck of the Ruby Dagger, the decision was swift and unanimous and Captain Steel's plan was immediately ratified.
Over the next two days, with the Ruby Dagger hidden in a cove adjacent to the sleepy Souffriere Bay, the pirate crew separated and hid their share. Under their captain's instructions, they were to use a combination of maps, clues, codes, decoys and booby traps to halt the progression of bounty hunters and pursuers.
One by one the pirates returned to their ship with two maps, each with a variety of tools and trinkets that would assist in finding the buried gold. The captain marked the master map of Dominica, locked everything into separate compartments, and stored the Chest of Zanzibar in a secret place beneath the boards of his own cabin.
When it was done, the entire crew spent the night drinking the ships entire store of rum and at first light prepared for battle. It would be another full day before they found themselves sailing directly into the path of the HMS Gallant.
The enemy in sight, Steel gave the order to raise the black flag, leaving no doubt as to what they were and that no quarter would be given to captured, Royal Navy sailors. It would be a fight to the death.
From this point, detail of the battle that ensued is sketchy. The captain's log from HMS Gallant at the time was official and to the point, but devoid of color.
Simple entries from Captain Lawrence Hennessy follow:
November 3 1726 - Unidentified vessel making sail for Dominica. Size and description fits that of pirate ship known as the Ruby Dagger.
November 4 1726 - Closed in on unidentified vessel. Confirmed positive identification of Ruby Dagger.
November 5 1726 - Lost sight of Ruby Dagger in bad weather.
November 7 1726 - Conducted costal search of leeward side of Dominica. No sign of Ruby Dagger.
November 8 1726 - Search for Ruby Dagger continues unsuccessfully.
November 10 1726 - Outside Souffriere Bay in SW corner of Dominica, regain sight of Ruby Dagger stationary in windward passage. Identified the vessel with black flag, knows a Jolly Roger, raised. Preparing for battle at dawn.
November 11 1726 - Heavy battle with crew of Ruby Dagger. His Majesty's casualties; 39 souls perished, 28 wounded. No survivors from enemy combatants. Ruby Dagger damaged with cannon shot to port side, sunk within one hour of damage. It's Captain, not captured yet reported to have gone down with his ship. Royal Navy crew boarded enemy vessel before she sank. No recovery or sighting of currency or contraband.
November 12 1726 - returning to safe harbor with limited hands.
Captain Henry Steel's entire crew was lost and from Captain Hennessy's log, it is concluded that Steel himself also perished. The wreck of the Ruby Dagger most likely broke up after she sunk and the Chest of Zanzibar disappeared forever.
Admirers of Steel's legend believe that records of this battle and stories of this small band of outnumbered pirates inflicting such a heavy "butcher's bill" on the pride of His Majesty's fleet were destroyed and that surviving Royal Navy crew were separated and sworn to secrecy to avoid embarrassing the crown. Rather than being rewarded for ridding the seas of this fearless pirate, Captain Lawrence Hennessy was assigned a less than desirable voyage to the colonies of North America, where he lived his days in solitude and never spoke of his battle with Captain Steel and the Ruby Dagger in 1726. The above captain's entries were found on a single page torn from the original log after Hennessy's death. The page is now the possession of the Chicago Maritime Society Archives and Museum. It is stored in a vault and rarely displayed.
The legend of Captain Henry Steel, the Ruby Dagger and his fearless band of pirates, lives on. The only thing that will give truth to the legend will be the recovery of the Chest of Zanzibar and Steel's Dominican gold.
ARGH! Well there ya have it! Now ya know what yer in store for come next Thursday!
I’ll be back then with yer Thursday Ping. So till then,
Take Care, Take it easy, & Don’t take any wooden doubloons! HAR! HAR! HAR!
ARGH! Send me a FReepmail if ya wants ta be added to the Pirate Master Ping List!
Please be addin' me name to yur pirate list, cuz'.
Avast, me hearties. Remember Sept 19th!
Now we know who the gay contestant is.
ARRR!!!!
Ya been added ta the Pirate Master Ping List!
Welcome aboard Matey!
Capt’ Cuz
The Captain: To be determined.
The Officers: To be determined.
The Crew: Alexis, Azmyth, Ben, Cheryl, Christa, Christian, Jay, J.D., John, Joy, Jupiter, Kendra, Laurel, Louie, Nessa, Sean
Sent ta Davy Jones’ Locker: To be determined.
ARRR! Mateys!
Well the spoiler websites have been strangely quite, so there’s not much to tell you about the start of the show. Of course that’s to be expected for the very first episode of a brand new show. After all, when Survivor Borneo premiered (Seven years ago today!) there wasn’t much in the way of spoiler websites then.
So who knows, maybe in another seven years, Survivor will be no more, Pirate Master may be the heavily spoiled show and Mark Burnett will be premiering a new show. Then again, maybe not.
Anyway, here is a little tidbit that has been excerpted from an online website interview with Pirate Master host Cameron Daddo.
By Christopher Rocchio of www.realitytvworld.com
Cameron Daddo’s take on each of the 16 pirate wannabes.
Alexis Shubin: “She’s brash and bold but you can rely on her when honesty is called for.”
Azmyth Kaminski: "Don't let the Rasta look fool you. He's physically tough with a personality to stay in everyone's good graces until he takes control."
Ben Fagan: "Beneath the Southern charm is a cunning, junior pirate."
Cheryl Kosewicz: "She’s very articulate, strong, and dominant. She prides herself on understanding the criminal mind while keeping her profession a secret."
Christa DeAngelo: “Even though she claims she’s ‘only there for adventure,’ she's determined to win to provide for her daughter."
Christian Okoye: "He's a big, friendly lug... Everybody loves him, but perhaps they should fear him."
Jay Hatkow: "A blue collar, working class pirate, who feels his crew will be easy prey in his plan to control from the inside."
Joe Don "J.D." Norton: “An adventurer that always lets his opinion be known no matter what the consequences are.”
John Lakness: "A loose canon. He's a physical asset to any crew with intelligence to match, maybe perhaps too much intelligence."
Jocelyn "Joy" McElveen: “A beauty queen who makes friends first and cuts throats later."
Elicia "Jupiter" Mendoza: "Exotic, original, bold and opinionated, who is smart enough to choose her friends and keep her eyes on her enemies."
Kendra Guffey: "She’s quiet and seemingly harmless. And unthreatening enough to go the distance."
Laurel Schmidt: "A hippie chick who will not conform and who's tough to read and impossible to manipulate."
Louie Frase: "A big, loud, jolly, bearded pirate. He's everyone's friend with a sense of justice while still being out for all that he can get."
Nessa Nemir: “This vixen packs a huge physical punch despite her small stature.”
Sean Twomey: "A chameleon like, physically intimidating ladies' man who can get himself in and out of trouble."
ARRRR! Has Daddo given us any clues as to how each player does? Or is he just tossing out red herrings? Stay tuned to find out!
I’ll be back Monday with a recap, so till then,
Take Care, Take it easy, & Don’t take any wooden doubloons! HAR! HAR! HAR!
ARRR! Send me a FReepmail if ya wants ta be added to the Pirate Master Ping List!
Lookin’ ferocious there cuz!
I watched the 3 clips over on CBS, and there’s definitely more than the fair share of looney tunes freakazoid pirate wannabees - example the most down to earth comment was one dude excited about potential pig wrestling... oh, it’s either going to be a rollercoaster season or a total flop.
One guy claims he researched pirates yet the announcer states when they elect a captain they don’t realize he get a larger share of the booty. Well duh, like every 8 year old knows that. Don’t know if the announcer is going for the ratings or stating the truth so guess we’ll find out tonight.
The following is an interview of Host Cameron Daddo, by some Info-babe from TVGuideonline.com
You can tell from the way she writes that she’s quite smitten with Cameron Daddo.
Anyway, the interview reveals some interesting points about the show. Personally, I didn’t discover anything I didn’t already know, but some of you may consider them spoilers. Therefore, I’ve “hidden” the interview. So if you really want to read it, start highlighting at the - - > below:
- - > Ahoy! Pirate Master's Hunky Host Reveals the Game's Booty-ful Secrets
by Angel Cohn
Survivor and Apprentice mastermind Mark Burnett is launching his brand-new rip-roaring reality show, Pirate Master, tonight on CBS at 8 pm/ET. Host Cameron Daddo practically jumped at the chance to helm this crazy ride. The easy-on-the-eyes Australian-born actor and father of three told us all the details on this wild new ride.
TVGuide.com: You are an actor/singer/producer.... How'd you end up on a pirate ship hosting this show?
Cameron Daddo: I heard on the grapevine that Mark Burnett was doing a show about pirates. I knew someone in the office at Burnett's [company] so I thought I'd give them a ring. I called my friend and said, "What are you doing?" and he was like, "We're doing this show about pirates and we're looking for a host. Do you want in?" I said, "I'm in." Next thing you know I'm sitting with Mark in the foyer at CBS waiting to meet the CBS executives to do the job.
TVGuide.com: You do have a lot of other stuff going on, so if this show takes off, are you ready to drop everything to go back for a few more seasons?
Daddo: Back to the pirate ship? Are you kidding? I'm waiting for the call to say we're back on!
TVGuide.com: What kind of challenges can we expect?
Daddo: We call them expeditions. Expeditions for a treasure. In most cases they have to jump off a ship and swim to shore, or they'll be instructed to get in their longboats and paddle or row. Once they hit the shore, off they go… through whatever terrain. There aren't a lot of beaches on Dominica. It is very volcanic, so they are dealing with uneven terrain and beautiful pristine water that comes out of the ground. It was just glorious.
TVGuide.com: Did you get to explore the island at all?
Daddo: I did! I saw quite a few of the locations for the expeditions. If I had the morning off, I'd grab my driver and have him show me the island or go on a rafting trip.
TVGuide.com: Is there one expedition we should keep an eye out for?
Daddo: Not really, but there is one that I particularly liked. The crew that is leading gets a bonus for leading. But there were specific sabotage points that they knew they were coming up to. So you want to get to that place first to slow the other people down. There was one sabotage that was awesome. They had to row about two miles to this place called Scott's Head, which was featured in Pirates of the Caribbean. Once they got there, there was an old buoy that had been there for a hundred years, and they had to follow the line of the buoy down and pull a key off it. If you were first, when you pulled the key, it dropped the second key another 10 feet down. So the second crew had to hold their breath and swim down 25 feet. It is not for the faint of heart.
TVGuide.com: Are you into that sort of adventure vacation stuff?
Daddo: [Shakes his head no, then laughs] Of course I am! If I wasn't the host of this, I'd want to be a contestant. It was that much fun.
TVGuide.com: Did the contestants know what they were getting into?
Daddo: Yes and no.
TVGuide.com: Well, this hasn't been on before so it is hard to plot and scheme in advance.
Daddo: That surprised me, actually. A lot of them are avid reality-television watchers. I think they put two and two together and thought, "Mark Burnett, Survivor," and thought it was going to be something similar. A lot of them came in with agendas, which I had no idea about until later. My hat is off to them, because I would be a contestant but I wouldn't have come in with those smarts. I don't watch a lot of that style of entertainment.
TVGuide.com: So did you know what you were getting into?
Daddo: I had an idea of what was coming. This form of work for me was very different. I had to learn a whole new skill set. My learning curve was as steep as the Sears Tower. I had to learn our whole new "Pirate Master Lingo." I had to learn the rules. And it was my job to impart that knowledge to the contestants so they knew what they were doing and could play the game. I had a short time to prepare and it was a new show so we were all learning as we went. It was intense. And then, I'm standing there and the contestants are there and I get one shot at it. You tell them what is going on, fire the gun, and they are off. The excitement of that drew me to the show. It is classic improv. You've got to roll with it.
TVGuide.com: What happens when somebody gets eliminated? Do they walk a plank?
Daddo: They get cut adrift. The captain nominates three pirates to be marked with a black spot. They have to report to the Pirates Court, where they stand trial and defend themselves and make a case to their fellow pirates for their spot on the ship. Their fellow pirates cast a ballot deciding who should stay and who should go. The pirates can also rise as one and mutiny against the captain. The captain can be mutinied against to lose his spot, and he'll be cut adrift, end of the road. When that happens, their journey is over, they climb over the side onto a small raft that is four planks lashed together with rope. They sit on the ocean in the middle of the sea. The captain pulls out his saber and cuts the rope and they float off… never to be seen again.
TVGuide.com: Everyone is living together on this boat. Are there a lot of personality conflicts?
Daddo: There are. Obviously everyone has a very strong personality and the Pirate Master code says that when they find a treasure, the captain keeps half. You can imagine the reaction when I told them that. The first episode, I say, "Count the treasure." It is like 40,000 bucks or something. "Now you need to elect a captain. OK, Captain, Pirate Master code is that you get half." Then you look and they are all like, what? "Now you need to choose two officers. Good, you two take half of the $20,000 that's left. The rest of the money is for the other pirates. Oh, and you're demoted. Take your two grand and go downstairs." If you don't share your money, it is a big issue.
TVGuide.com: Do they get to keep the money for good after each expedition, or can it be stolen?
Daddo: Good question. It is yours and it can't be stolen. It can be bartered and traded. It is used as currency to [build loyalty]. The money is real off the show. When you come to Pirates Court, you bring your money with you, because you might be leaving with it.
TVGuide.com: Could someone with a black mark bribe someone else with cash?
Daddo: Absolutely! And don't think I didn't suggest it! At the end you are after $500,000. What's five grand apiece when you're making sure they don't cast a ballot your way? Do they use it? We will see.
TVGuide.com: Was there someone in particular who surprised you?
Daddo: There was a woman who was not particularly strong on expeditions and not particularly popular with the crew and yet she persevered and the other pirates kept her around.
TVGuide.com: What else are you doing in your non-Pirate life?
Daddo: I'm in postproduction on a film that I am producing, and I'm in preproduction on another film that we are shooting in October. It is an Australian story set in Los Angeles about the life of a pair of ex-patriots. They are married and have been living in the States for a couple of years and they are on a car ride — the film takes place inside the vehicle — and by the time they arrive at their destination, their marriage is over. It's called Passengers, and it's a really good script. I'm producing it and am behind the scenes. And I have a business where I do shade sails. I design and install shade structure. Two days before I left to go to Pirate Master, I was on [Prison Break's] Dominic Purcell's roof putting up two gorgeous black sails on his balcony.
Well, hope everyone enjoys the show tonight.
Take Care, Take it easy, & Don’t take any wooden doubloons! HAR! HAR! HAR!
ARRR! Send me a FReepmail if ya wants ta be added to the Pirate Master Ping List!
Hi cuz, Please add me to your ping list for this thread. Thanks. Suzanne
ps..LOVE the outfit.
I want to know why they didn’t threaten to cut the guys hand off when he said he was stealing the compasses? They just let him leave, and there were plenty of guys that could have kicked his butt to get them back.
Yeah, and why didn’t the captain just take the compass away from him? Ack, sort of a cheesy show and rather boring. Not much excitement or suspense. Don’t think I’ll make room in my schedule for it like I did Survivor.
Missed it. Any idea if they are going to replay the first episode?
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