| Survivor: Gabon | |
|---|---|
| Season 17 | |
 Region 1 DVD cover | |
| Presented by | Jeff Probst |
| No. of days | 39 |
| No. of castaways | 18 |
| Winner | Robert "Bob" Crowley |
| Runner-up | Susie Smith |
| Location | Wonga-Wongue Presidential Reserve, Estuaire, Gabon |
| No. of episodes | 14 |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | September 25 – December 14, 2008 |
| Additional information | |
| Filming dates | June 23 – July 31, 2008 |
| Season chronology | |
Survivor: Gabon — Earth's Last Eden is the seventeenth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor.[1] The premiere aired September 25, 2008, with the first two episodes screened back-to-back. Survivor: Gabon began filming in late June.[2] It marked the second season of the series that was filmed in Africa (Survivor: Africa had been filmed seven years earlier in Kenya). Reports from Gabon indicate the show was filmed around the coastal towns of Nyonie and Ekwata in the Wonga-Wongue Presidential Reserve.[3]
This season, players sent to Exile Island had a choice of receiving a clue to the location of a Hidden Immunity Idol or a comfort item. On April 13, 2008, at the National Association of Broadcasters's annual show, Sony announced that the 17th season of Survivor would be the first to be shot in high definition, using Sony's XDCAMs.[4] The show ranked number ten in DVR playback (2.33 million viewers), according to Nielsen prime DVR lift data from September 22, 2008 – November 23, 2008.[5]
The winner was 57-year-old Robert "Bob" Crowley, a high school physics teacher from Maine. He defeated Susie Smith and Jessica "Sugar" Kiper in a 4–3–0 vote at the live finale to take the million dollar prize. In addition, Bob won the $100,000 "Sprint Survivor of the Season" award, beating out Sugar and Matty Whitmore, who were next highest in the popular vote. Crowley is the oldest survivor winner to date, by both birthday and age at victory.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 28, 2008). "CBS sticks with Survivor; Probst re-ups as host". Reuters/The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 29, 2008.
- ^ Ross, Dalton (May 12, 2008). "Jeff Probst talks about next 'Survivor' location". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2009.
- ^ "Survivor Gabon--Return to Africa". May 29, 2008. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved May 29, 2008.
- ^ Dickson, Glen (April 13, 2008). "NAB 2008: Sony Nets Big HD Camera Sales, Survivor, COPS to Use Sony's XDCAM HD". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved April 13, 2008.
- ^ "CBS NUMBER ONE LIVE -- AND IN PLAYBACK". The Futon Critic. December 12, 2008. Retrieved May 17, 2010.