Australian actor, television host, model and musician Cameron Daddo will be the host of Survivor producer Mark Burnett’s latest reality venture Pirate Masters, which airs its premiere this Thursday, May 31st. The show will follow sixteen “modern-day pirates” as they search for treasure off the coast of Dominica in the Caribbean.

In addition to Daddo’s television hosting experience, he might also bring an extra-added qualification to the gig: actual pirate ancestry.

Daddo recently spoke to the New York Post and claimed that his 101-year old grandfather once mentioned to him that his family was descended from “Spanish pirates.” Daddo said he learned this “before this pirate show was even on [his] radar.” He added that it might be the influence of this pirate ancestry that made him feel most at home on the high seas, whereas some of the pirate contestants had trouble adjusting to the constant “motion of the ocean.”

In the same interview, Daddo also provided some additional details about the dynamics of the cast and the specifics of the rules. Apparently, outright theft between contestants is forbidden. While it’s understandable as allowing it could quickly devolve a fun reality show into a total chaos and anarchy, it also make it seem…well, a little less pirate-y. The whole point of pirates is to steal, no?

So instead, the pirates can barter with each other – using gold for influence, buying their way out of elimination. This actually makes them, essentially, lobbyists, but one supposes that “Lobbyist on the High Seas” doesn’t have quite the same ring as Pirate Master.

Further calling into question just how cutthroat these wanna-be pirates will actually be, Daddo also commented that he was surprised at how the group grew into a community and were not as “vicious” as he had anticipated.

Despite these possible drawbacks, the strength of the involvement of producer Mark Burnett – who generally backs solid reality programs – means that many are looking forward to catching the Pirate Master premiere on May 31st at on CBS.

- Leslie Seaton, BuddyTV Staff Columnist

(Image courtesy of CBS)

(Source: NY Post)