Survivor showdown
Survivor manages to rope us in every season using the simplest of gimmicks.
This year, the show tossed in three past castaways who had been evacuated from their seasons early due to medical emergencies (Mike Skupin, Russell Swan and Jonathan Penner) along with The Facts of Life’s perpetually frazzled Lisa Whelchel, and we were hooked.
What kept us watching was the fact that this season’s older players weren’t underdogs, but wise, coherent, selfaware all-stars.
And to up the finale-week buzz, producers allowed the season’s final five contestants — Whelchel, Skupin, Abi-Maria Gomes, Denise Stapley and Malcolm Freberg — to appear shaved and fully clothed on Wednesday’s edition of The Jeff Probst Show prior to tonight’s finale – a TV first. Not bad for 25 seasons in.
Host Probst announces the winner of $1 million after the two-hour showdown, followed by the regular reunion show. (CBS, Global — 9 p.m.)
Riding into the lineup is the CTV original movie The Horses of McBride, about a family that spearheads a community project to save two starving horses stuck in the B.C. Rockies. Scenic views and heart-melting moments are a given in the film shot just outside of Calgary — but we bet you didn’t know that the producers actually found two emaciated horses (with some help from the local SPCA) to double as the film’s equine stars as the actual horses who were trapped by the snow were being nurtured back to health. Mare Lady was rescued near Cochrane, Alta., while gelding Slim was a resident of Penticton, B.C. Human stars include Aidan Quinn as the cowboy patriarch, Kari Matchett as Mom, Edward Ruttle as son Kenny and MacKenzie Porter (Canadian Idol alum Kalan Porter’s sister) as daughter Nicki, who was determined the save the animals. (CTV — 7 p.m.)
Everyone loves a wedding — especially one they never in a million years thought would happen. No offence to Ashley Hebert and J.P. Rosenbaum, but it’s just that they’re only the third out of 24 Bachelor/Bachelorette couples to actually tie the knot. All the more reason for ABC to blow the event up to space-balloon proportions with the two-hour The Bachelorette: Ashley and J.P.’s Wedding special documenting the big day. The reality series’ host, Chris Harrison, does double duty as the officiant. Aww. (ABC, Citytv — 10 p.m.)
And since one should never let a holiday season go by without watching Chevy Chase staple his shirt sleeve to an eavestrough, here is a gentle reminder that National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) airs tonight on CBC. In addition to making us want to buy brightly coloured pants, the Old Navy commercial has us yearning for a night of Griswold family shenanigans. Is that box meowing? (CBC — 8 p.m.)