Fall TV Blog

Before Sunday’s finale of Survivor: Micronesia airs on CBS (8 p.m. ET), PEOPLE checked in with the show’s host — and resident torch-snuffer — Jeff Probst to get his take on the final four, the great streak of tribal council blindsides and his new MySpace page. –Cynthia Wang

There are four women in the final, Amanda, Cirie, Parvati and Natalie. What is your take and did you expect them to be in the running for the million-dollar prize?
I’m not surprised Amanda’s in it. Overall, she has a very good understanding of how to play Survivor. She’s played two times in a row and has gone deep in the game both times. Cirie — not surprised at all! She is so much cagier. You saw this season that Cirie is so much smarter than she let on her first season. She played that adorable, fish-out-of-water, laughing and giggling all the time when she was on Panama: Exile Island. But this season, when she had it out with [Jonathan] Penner and said, “Listen. You think I don’t know what’s going on. I know.” She’s proven she knows how to play. Parvati, I can’t say she’s surprised me but I’m impressed with how Parvati’s played, particularly with one huge move, bringing Alexis and Natalie into the fold of her, Amanda and Cirie. That move was great because Parvati put herself in a great place of having Alexis and Natalie on one side and Amanda and Cirie on the other side and therefore, for my money, Parvati would be the one I get rid of next because she might have more votes. Next on the block would have to be Cirie because she is so likable. The dark horse is definitely Natalie. I don’t think Natalie can win this game but that might make her a great person to sit next to because she has been so evil. Read the rest of this entry »

Kelly Taylor is returning to that exclusive zip code, 90210.

As was rumored, Jennie Garth will make special guest appearances on the CW’s new spinoff of Beverly Hills, 90210, playing a guidance counselor at her alma mater, West Beverly High, the network announced Saturday.

Garth is the first original cast member to sign on to the spinoff — though many former stars (including Tori Spelling and Ian Ziering) are lobbying for parts. Since the announcement was made last month, the cast has been rapidly filling up: Lori Loughlin has signed on to play Debbie Mills, wife of the high school principal who returns to take care of his alcoholic mother.

The high school principal has not yet been cast.
–Elaine Aradillas

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

Guess who’s coming for a visit to Wisteria Lane, just in time for Mother’s Day? Mike’s sweet Southern mom! And she comes bearing a gift for Susan: a book of family recipes dating all the way back to the War of Northern Agression, aka the Civil War to the rest of us. Watch a clip of Sunday’s show right now, then come back Monday to talk about the episode.

Watch a new preview clip of Gossip Girl, in which Serena (Blake Lively) tells friends Blair (Leighton Meester), Nate (Chace Crawford) and Chuck (Ed Westwick) about that night when she and Georgina (Michelle Trachtenberg) got themselves into some deep trouble.

Tell us: What will happen next?

In the pantheon of television evil, we have J.R. Ewing, Dr. Kimberly Mancini and perhaps one day soon … Steve Sanders’ evil twin brother.

This previously unheard of evil force could emerge, Ian Ziering — who played Sanders on the original Beverly Hills, 90210 — playfully suggests, when the spinoff launches on The CW.

“I’d like to see Steve’s twin brother show up on the show,” Ziering told PEOPLE at the Dancing With the Stars 100th episode celebration. “If you think Steve was bad, well Steve was tame compared to his twin.”

This premise could work, Ziering says with a sly smile, since Steve Sanders was famously adopted on the original show (90210 fun fact: he found out when he was 16).

“As it turns out he has a twin who was adopted to another family — a less solvent family. He was from the other side. His name is Ben Sanders and he didn’t drive a Corvette like Steve. He got his smarts from the street.”

While he would not comment on whether he’d don the usually mandatory big mustache for the evil twin part, the light-haired Ziering said he would dye appropriately. “I’d go all dark — the hair, the eyebrows. And I’d cap my teeth.”

Evil twins aside, Ziering says his initial take to the news of 90210 redux was slight skepticism. “My first reaction was, ‘often imitated, never duplicated,’” says Ziering. “They picked up the reins on an iconic show. It takes a lot … But I wish them the best. I want the show to succeed.” –Bryan Alexander

Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic; John Shearer/FilmMagic

Sunday night, after finishing their last shoot of the season (at 5 a.m.!), the cast and crew of Desperate Housewives gathered at Eva Longoria Parker’s new restaurant Beso in Hollywood to celebrate a job well done.

While a few of the Housewives called it a night and went home, Longoria Parker, Felicity Huffman and Dana Delany all stayed out toasting with Stoli elit signature cocktails with catsmembers James Denton, Doug Savant, Kyle MacLachlan and newcomer Justine Bateman. Guests munched on guacamole (Eva’s family recipe), paella and some of Beso’s other signature Mexican dishes.

The show’s creator Marc Cherry put together a bloopers reel from the past season will of botched lines and slap-fights and played it during the party — it was a huge hit with cast and crew.

“Eva thanked everyone for a great season and a great party,” according to one guest. “The party was great and all the guests had a wonderful time. Everyone celebrated together — cats and crew.” –Jennifer Garcia

Alexandra Wyman/WireImage

In a never-ending contest to become the most foolish player in Survivor history, 22-year-old student Erik Reichenbach, of Ypsilanti, Mich., made a forceful bid for the title when he gave his immunity necklace to Natalie and was promptly booted from Survivor: Micronesia.

After returning back to camp from last week’s elimination, Erik told Natalie that he thought Amanda was the most popular remaining contestant with the jury. Natalie told Erik that if either won the next reward challenge, they should send the other person to Exile Island to look for the immunity idol, or take the other to the reward. Meanwhile, Amanda tried to manipulate Erik to send Parvati to Exile, playing to his sense of guilt at voting against her in the previous tribal council.

She succeeded. After proving himself the ultimate fan at the reward challenge, which tested the remaining five on how well they knew past seasons of the game, Erik sent Parvati to Exile and took Amanda on a reward helicopter ride to a luxury resort for spa time and a meal. Read the rest of this entry »