September 6, 2007
Mark Burnett’s failed reality series, Pirate Master, has finally cast its anchor and docked for good. CBS posted the final episode of the show on their web site last August 28, a little over a month since the network yanked it off their television lineup due to poor ratings. For Pirate Master’s faithful followers, the two-hour finale offered lots of action and adventure as the final three contestants battled it out for the title of Pirate Master.
After a series of individual and collective challenges, the race to Captain Henry Steele’s treasure finally came down to 30-year-old stay-at-home mom, Christa DeAngelo and 23-year old musician, Ben Fagan. The homestretch challenge required Christa and Ben to place a wooden ship wheel on a wall of Henry Steele’s quarters, making sure to match letters printed on the wall in order to read the succeeding clue. The race was close until Ben worked out the last puzzle to earn the key that unlocked Captain Steele’s Treasure of Zanzibar.
August 16, 2007
CBS canceled the reality series, Pirate Master, last month, and redirected the remaining episodes to weekly broadcasts on CBS.com's Innertube. The show, which had been produced by Mark Burnett, had failed to deliver solid ratings for the network, which ultimately led to its demise. Azmyth Kaminski, the ninth cast member sent adrift from the show, believes the cancellation would have been averted if CBS had only shown more confidence in the series.
“CBS did what they could, but I feel like they didn't believe in it from the start,” Kaminski told TV Guide. “I can understand if it had been maybe four or five sessions in and [they decided] to cancel it, but we were more than halfway through the season.”
August 2, 2007
It's been a week and a half since CBS abruptly pulled Pirate Master off the air. The show had been plagued by mediocre ratings. It tried changing days and time slots but nothing seemed to boost interest in the show. Instead of going the way of other network canceled shows (Reunion, anyone?), CBS decided to give the fans what they wanted and put the remaining episodes online. Let's check in on our pirates to see who has become captain and who has become cut adrift.
The season was halfway over when episode nine hit the internet. Only eight pirates remained. Host Cameron Daddo informs the pirates that the captain will no longer have officers, which spells trouble for Azmyth. For this expedition, Azmyth competed on the black crew with Nessa, Louie, and Laurel at his side. Opposing them would be his two former officers Ben and Jay as well as Christa and Kendra. The red crew pulls off a victory and Christa becomes the newest (and first female) captain.
July 30, 2007
Former Pirate Master contestant and Deputy District Attorney of Reno, NV Cheryl Kosewicz was found dead in her home this past Friday from an apparent suicide. She was 35-years-old. Kosewicz's boyfriend, Ryan O'Neil, took his own life two months ago. CBS recently announced they were pulling the plug on Pirate Master due to poor ratings. She also had appeared in a recent issue of The Enquirer, although the reason is unclear.
Cheryl had not kept her troubles to herself. She posted on fellow contestant Nessa Nemir's MySpace page just before she died, saying that she was “floating around lost.” She also posted the week before to a friend, “now it's up to me to make sure I get up every morning to handle the day.” Her death is still under investigation, according to KOLO-TV/Reno, although fellow cast members have stated that it was suicide on various websites such as MySpace and Facebook.
July 24, 2007
Although skeptics might have doubted, Pirate Master did have potential. The concept of modern-day pirates sailing the seas and voting the others off was a little silly. But before 
the season started, fans of other Mark Burnett adventure-reality shows thought that the strength of that production company might be able to turn a potentially goofy concept into a fun summertime escape.
For some viewers, that might have been exactly what it was, but unfortunately, there weren't enough of those viewers for CBS's liking. They have announced that they are pulling Pirate Master from its on-air line-up.
However, for those who are fans of Pirate Master, never fear! CBS might have cut the show adrift but you can still sail along with them until the end of their journey.
July 18, 2007
Never trust a pirate. That's the theme that's becoming apparent on the premiere season of Mark Burnett's Pirate Master. Jupiter Mendoza had been loyal to Captain Azmyth all season long. What does that get her? A one-way ticket home. After alerting the captain that a mutiny was being discussed, the Captain stabbed Jupiter in the back, after she had been his confidante throughout the season. Jupiter, the latest cast adrift, took some time to speak with us this morning about her time on Pirate Master.
Below you will find both the written transcript and the full mp3 audio of the interview.