Pirate Master

Pirate Master
Created by	Mark Burnett
Starring	Cameron Daddo (host)
No. of episodes	2
Production
Running time	60 minutes
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	May 31, 2007 – Present

Pirate Master is a CBS reality television show created by Mark Burnett following 16 modern-day "pirates" on their quest for gold, which will total US$1,000,000. The show is hosted by Cameron Daddo, and takes place in the Caribbean island nation of Dominica. The show premiered on Thursday May 31, 2007. The show also airs on CTV in Canada, Sky One in the UK and soon to be Network Ten in Australia.

Premise

As of the airing of the second episode and based on information from the CBS website, the contest appears to follow the pattern described below; it is uncertain at this point whether or not these procedures will change.

The premise is based on the fictional legend of the pirate captain Henry Steel and the Treasure of Zanzibar. Based on this tale, Steel divided his loot into 14 parts and hid them across the island of Dominica. A special chest, the Chest of Zanzibar, was created with 15 locked compartments, each containing maps and clues to find each of these stashes. The treasure found through the clues in one compartment will contain a key that can be used to open another compartment. The 15th compartment, which can only be opened once each other compartment has been opened in order, contains a map showing the location of every gold stash on the island of Dominica and would lead to the largest prize.

Each week, the contestants are divided into two crews, Black and Red, to hunt for the treasure indicated by the maps and clues obtained from the most recently opened compartment on the Chest of Zanzibar. The captain and his officers are automatically part of the Black Crew, and the remaining players are randomly assigned to the other crews, with the Black crew gaining the extra player when an odd number of players are available. For the first expedition only, crews are randomly assigned. Both crews simultaneously go on expeditions and decipher clues along the way to find gold coins hidden around the island of Dominica. During the expedition, there is the potential for the currently leading crew to "sabotage" the other crew at a given point and slow them down in the hunt, such as by causing a net to fall to block passage along a river. Should the Black team win (lead by the current Captain), the Captain retains his position, and has the option to replace his Officers prior to divvying the winnings. Should the Red team win, they elect a new Captain who will select two other crew members as the Officers. For the first expedition only, the winning crew gets to elect the Captain in this same manner. The Captain claims 50% of the total gold discovered, the Officers share 25% of the gold, while the rest of the winning crew members share the remaining 25% of the gold. The prized gold is given to the crew members immediately, and allows them to strike deals with each other and vie for long-term security. This money cannot be stolen by other players. Of the total $1 million prize that the show offers, $500,000 will be distributed through the show in this manner.

At the end of each episode, there is a Pirate's Court. Prior to this Court's proceedings, the Captain distributes letters, three of which contain a black ink blot (called a "black spot"). The three contestants marked with a "black spot" are the ones nominated to be voted off and cannot take part in the voting process that follows; the Captain nor his officers cannot do so, either. The remaining crew members then cast their votes by impaling their ballots on an upturned dagger. The contestant with the most votes is then "cut adrift" (i.e., voted off the show). It is unknown what happens in case of a tie. However, if the crew band together and unanimously vote for a mutiny against the Captain, then the officers will have a chance to vote; if they both agree with the crew, the Captain is cut adrift instead. If either Officer disagrees with the mutiny, the mutiny fails, and the Captain can then choose any player (including those that did not have the Black Spot but that voted for mutiny) to be set adrift.

In the end, Captain or not, only one pirate will win the largest booty, worth $500,000, and claim the title of "Pirate Master."

Features of the Show

The show is notable for its very atmospheric setting and props. Much of the show takes place on the ship, called the Picton Castle, but the contestants also disembark and explore island rivers and muddy riverbanks in search of gold. Skeletons, keys, and other pirate-themed paraphernalia are scattered about the foggy island environment.

Other stereotypically "pirate"-like features include pirate-themed music, pirate-like clothing (note that the Captain and the Officers don costumes signifying their superior rank), and the performance of laborious chores aboard the ship. The ship's main mast sports a Jolly Roger, stylized with a "Pirate Master" logo.

Contestants

Contestant	Current Rank, Week Notes	Cut Adrift	Number of Votes	Total Booty1
Joe Don "J.D." Morton 36, Fairbanks, AK	Captain			$42,500
Ben Fagan 23, Charleston, SC	Officer			$10,625
Cheryl Kosewicz 35, Sparks, NV	Officer			$10,625
Christa DeAngelo 29, Tamaqua, PA				$2,250
Louie "Rufus" Frase 43, Fishing Creek, MD				$4,250
Kendra Guffey 38, Los Angeles, CA	Black Spot		4	$2,000
Jay Hatkow 37, Detroit, MI				$0
Azmyth Kaminski 26, Los Angeles, CA				$2,250
Jocelyn "Joy" McElveen 21, West Columbia, SC	Black Spot			$0
Elicia "Jupiter" Mendoza 30, Los Angeles, CA				$4,250
Nessa Nemir 29, Berkeley, CA				$2,250
Laurel Schmidt 21, Los Angeles, CA				$0
Sean Twomey 27, Venice, CA				$0
Alexis Shubin 26, Laguna Beach, CA	align="center" Cut Adrift			$2,000
Christian Okoye 45, Enugu, Nigeria	Cut Adrift	Second Episode	5	$0
John Lakness 25, Carlisle, MA	Cut Adrift	First Episode	10	$2,000

Template:FnbBooty Awards are based only on the amount of money directly given to each player as a result of winning the treasure hunt. Booty that may be exchanged afters is not counted in this column due to the inability to verify these amounts from the show as presented ; however, the CBS Pirate Master Wiki includes a "Treasure Tracker" that may include these values.

Episodes

Episode Title	Air Date	Winning Crew	Amount of Gold Found	Captain	Officers	Black Spot	Mutiny	Cut Adrift	Vote	Prize Money
I Want That Treasure	2007-05-31	Black Crew	$40,000	Joe Don	Ben Cheryl	John Joy Louie	No	John	10-0-0	$2,000
Pirates, Guns and Money	2007-06-07	Black Crew	$45,000	Joe Don	Ben Cheryl	Christian Kendra Joy	No	Christian	5-4-0	$200
Bribes, Lies, and Vengeful Eyes	2007-06-14
Death by Coconuts	2007-06-21
Loose Lips Sink Ships	2007-06-28

Weekly Crew Assignments

	Episode 1		Episode 2		Episode 3
Crew Name	Black Crew	Red Crew	Black Crew	Red Crew	Black Crew	Red Crew
Crew Members	Alexis Ben Cheryl Joe Don John Jupiter Kendra Louie	Azmyth Christa Christian Jay Joy Laurel Nessa Sean	Azmyth Ben Cheryl Christa Joe Don Jupiter Louie Nessa	Alexis Christian Jay Joy Kendra Laurel Sean

Voting history

	Episode 1	Episode 2	Episode 3
Voter	Vote
Alexis	John	Kendra
Azmyth	John	Christian
Ben	Officer	Officer
Cheryl	Officer	Officer
Christa	John	Christian
Jay	John	Christian
Joe Don	Captain	Captain
Joy	Black Spot	Black Spot
Jupiter	John	Christian
Kendra	John	Black Spot
Laurel	John	Kendra
Louie	Black Spot	Kendra
Nessa	John	Kendra
Sean	John	Christian
Christian	John	Black Spot
John	Black Spot

Voting Reasons:

• Episode 1: John - His attitude initially put off a few people. In the end, his cockiness and attempt to steal the compasses sealed his fate.
• Episode 2: Christian - Seen as physically strong, but his size made him slower and held his team back. Also, he lacked an obvious alliance and others saw his unpredictability as a threat.