The Real Gilligan's Island

The Real Gilligan's Island is a reality television series that aired two seasons on TBS in 2004 and 2005. Contestants on the show were required to participate in challenges based on plots from the 1960s television show. Both editions of the show were recorded in the Mexican Caribbean on a location South from Cancun. Pop-Punk group Bowling for Soup covered the original Gilligan's Island theme for the show.

Combination format

The format of the show was a combination of CBS's Survivor and the original show from the 1960s. Contestants were divided into two teams of seven to start the show. Each team was composed of members that were expected to dress and act like their Gilligan's Island counterpart. Characters used were:

• Gilligan
• Mary Ann
• Ginger
• the Skipper
• the Professor
• the Millionaire
• the Millionaire's Wife

Contestants were picked partly for their real-life resemblance to their characters—real-life millionaires, actresses, and boat owners played their counterparts.

Competitions of characters and teams

Initial round: paired competitions

In the first round, the teams would participate in a series of competitions that would pit one team's character against the other's (Team A's "Ginger" against Team B's "Ginger," for example) for the right to stay on the island and compete in the second phase of the show. The competitions were set up by having members from the teams venture to "Voodoo Village" to retrieve a chest that, when opened, would reveal a voodoo doll crudely done up to look like a character. The two contestants portraying that character would then compete.

Final round: prizes, immunity, and alliances

Once the seven finalists were set, the show became very similar to Survivor. Contestants first competed in a challenge for a prize and a chance at immunity from the day's voting. Alliances and strategy was common. The contestants would then all travel to Voodoo Village and engage in a voting ceremony.

Final challenge

Once only three contestants were left, the show wrapped up with a challenge pitting the remaining players against each other. The first season was won by the Millionaire (Glenn Stearns.) The second season was won by the Skipper ("Crazy" Charlie Albert.)

Notable contestants

The "Ginger" role was filled by professional actresses. In 2004, Nicole Eggert and Rachel Hunter competed. In 2005, Erika Eleniak and Angie Everhart competed.

In 2004, actress and television personality Mindy Burbano Stearns filled the role of "the Millionaire's Wife" along with her husband, Glenn Stearns, as "the Millionaire".

The game

Season 1

Episode Titles	Challenges		Eliminated	Vote
	Reward	Immunity
Episode 1	Green Team		Skipper Bob	None
	Gold Team		Professor Eric
Episode 2	Gold Team		Mary Ann Amanda
	Gold Team		Millionaires Donna and Bill
Episode 3	Gold Team		Ginger Nicole
	Gold Team		Gilligan Gooner
Episode 4	Mary Ann Kate [Gilligan Chris]	Millionaire Mindy	Professor Pat	4-3
	Mary Ann Kate Gilligan Chris	Millionaire Glenn	Ginger Rachel	3-2-1
Finale	All	Millionaire Mindy	Skipper Jim	3-2
	None	Mary Ann Kate	Gilligan Chris	2-1-1
	Millionaire Glenn		Millionaire Mindy Mary Ann Kate	None

^1 Skipper Bob was forced to leave the game due to medical reasons.

^2 During the team portion, there were no votes cast.

^3 Instead of voting, the Final 3 castaways participated in a final rescue challenge, where the challenge winner would win the game.

Season 2

Episode Titles	Challenges		Eliminated	Vote
	Reward	Immunity
Episode 1	Green Team	Green Team	Skipper Ken	None
	None		Ginger Angie
	Orange Team		Millionaire Howie
Episode 2	Green Team		Miss Millionaire Donna
	Orange Team		Professor Andy
	Green Team		Mary Ann Mandy
	Orange Team		Gilligan Zac
Episode 3	Miss Millionaire Melissa [Gilligan Shawn]	Skipper Charlie	Millionaire Jim	4-3
	Gilligan Shawn Skipper Charlie Ginger Erika	Ginger Erika	Miss Millionaire Melissa	4-2
Finale	Skipper Charlie	Skipper Charlie	Mary Ann Randi	4-1
	None	Gilligan Shawn	Professor Tiy-E	2-2
	Skipper Charlie		Gilligan Shawn Ginger Erika	None

^4 Ginger Angie was forced to leave the game because of medical reasons. Therefore, there did not need to be a head-to-head for the Gingers.

Pie fight promo

To promote the second season, TBS released a catfight inspired parody featuring models playing Mary Ann and Ginger; Tiffany Taylor as a scantily clad, school girl-like Mary Ann, exposing quite a bit of cleavage and Angela Dodson as a buxom Ginger. They do not act like the wholesome television counterparts, instead they act like they would in a male fantasy. The ad begins with the two eating coconut cream pies (rather suggestively) and talking about what makes them taste so great, fluffy top or creamy filling. The differing opinions quickly escalates into a provocative pie fight, Mary Ann kicking Ginger onto a second table filled with pies. The two roll around in the mess with many close ups of Mary Ann's buttocks and what looks like the two women doing more than just fighting, all accompanied by Def Leppard's Pour Some Sugar on Me. The fight concludes with Mary Ann pushing Ginger into a castaway-style shower where they are both drenched from a bucket of water in slow motion. Ginger and Mary Ann look at each other seductively before the screen cuts to black. The ad eventually concludes with two more actors playing The Skipper and Gilligan watching the catfight thru binoculars, Gilligan asking, "Skipper, you think we'll ever get rescued from this island?" with The Skipper responding, "Little Buddy, who cares!"

External links

• Official site - Season 1
• Official site - Season 2
• The Real Gilligan's Island at the Internet Movie Database