By MARTA HEPLER DRAHOS
mdrahos@record-eagle.com
November 04, 2007 04:00 am TRAVERSE CITY -- And then there were nine. At the end of a surprising episode in which the Fei Long and Zhan Hu tribes merged two weeks ahead of many Internet predictions, Michael "Frosti" Zernow emerged as the winner of "Survivor: China's" first individual immunity challenge -- and as one of nine contestants left standing on the TV reality show. Calling itself Hae Da Fung or "Black Fighting Wind," the new tribe made its headquarters at the old Fei Long camp, where the remaining members of the former opposing tribes will now have to learn to work together -- or against each other -- to try and become the ultimate survivor. In the night's only challenge, contestants were treated to a celebratory feast featuring Chinese dance and acrobatics, then tested on their recall of the event. "I'm so screwed," groaned Zernow, before the first of a series of questions like, "How many times did firecrackers go off?" (three) and "What was the centerpiece on the table?" (a dragon). In the end, the Traverse City native was the only contestant to get them all right, winning immunity from elimination for another week and a better shot at the $1 million prize. Whether or not the hit CBS show's youngest contestant can go all the way depends on more than memory, however. "They put them through so many stresses that maturity and experiences in life have to come into play here," said John Lober, Zernow's former track and field coach at Traverse City Central High School, in an earlier interview. "For a 20-year-old, Mike is the one that will hang in there, because Mike is different." In other show developments, 22-year-old student Jaime Dugan of Columbia, S.C. became the seventh contestant to be eliminated from the game and the first "juror" who will ultimately help decide who is most deserving of the "Survivor" title.
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Photos
Michael 'Frosti' Zernow