The throng was a testament to the diversity of humankind: people of all races, all ages, male and female, gay and straight, beautiful and...the "beautiful in spirit." Some were perfectly coiffed, made-up and manicured; seemingly intending to showcase their beauty. The fact that beauty quickly fades after a few weeks without a shower or toothbrush was conveniently overlooked. Others in the crowd looked like they wouldn't survive 10 pushups. But as has been proven in the past, Survivor isn't necessarily about strength, but rather strategy. And whether military or metrosexual, the air was full of conversations starting with "If I get on, I'm gonna..."

Each came seeking their 15 minutes of fame, except in this case it was more like two minutes. While being videotaped in front of a panel of judges, auditioners had all of two minutes to prove themselves as the Ultimate Survivor. "We want them to be creative," said a WOIO/WUAB staffer. This was a surprise to many who thought the audition would consist solely of an interview. But, others in the crowd were clearly veterans of the reality show tryout circuit having come prepared with portable CD players, costumes and props.

Many of the players in this cross between A Chorus Line and Soldier of Fortune had obviously called in sick to work to attend (a fact complicated by the presence of panning TV cameras) and would only speak under the guarantee of anonymity. When asked why they wanted to leave their families, jobs and indoor plumbing for seven weeks to inhabit some remote part of the world and be subjected to treatment that would outrage Amnesty International, answers generally fell into one of three camps:

"I want the million dollars," said "Sonya," "and if they ask me, that's exactly what I will tell them. I want the money."

According to "Yvette" and "Jennifer" who were standing in the middle of the rapidly lengthening line, both concurred "Its not about the money, it's the challenge."

One twenty-something man who wouldn't give any name at all ("My wife doesn't know I'm doing this!") stated, "It's a stepping stone. From there you can get a job on Entertainment Tonight or the Today show...you don't have to win...just last long enough to make an impression..."

So whether for riches, challenge or a guest host spot on Regis and Kelly, the Survivor contestant application might spark some ideas about how to make that impression. The 16-page document features questions like " Do you have any body art (piercing, tattoo, etc...)? If so, please describe...", What is your favorite topic of conversation at a dinner party? What topics are off-limits?" and "What would you NOT do for a million dollars?" From the look of those auditioning, the answers to that last question would form a startlingly short list.

Concerning making the short list, approximately 800 from all the contenders in the country can look forward to being called back for an interview, which includes a background check. If they "survive" 48 of those will move on to the semi-finals for more interviews along with physical and mental examinations. From those, 16 will be featured on Survivor 9 and one will walk away with a million dollars. As for the rest, there's always The Bachelor, Fear Factor, Average Joe, America's Next Top Supermodel, Are You Hot? From Cool Cleveland contributor Marcia Bryant

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