More questions answered ....

A few answers to some questions ...

Q: How is the order of elimination decided? Is is scripted from the beginning? Or do you actually wait until writing each episode to decide?

Yes and No. Way back at the beginning of the season -- before any writing takes place, we have what's called a "Writer's Summit". The Story Editors, Producers and Directors get together over the course of a few weeks and talk about what we would like to see happen in the season. Story ideas are pitched in, and character plot-lines and story arcs are roughed out. We break down the whole season into how we think it should happen. This includes who will be eliminated in which episode. Then the writing begins. All of these scratched out ideas start to fall into place and the characters and stories start to take on a life of their own. But, the situations have a way of revealing themselves naturally -- and on more than one occasion, we have changed the order of elimination because a certain storyline had become too much fun to do away with.
As far as the final episode goes -- we have actually written and produced multiple endings of the show -- so that no-one but a select few people actually know who the REAL winner will be. They may know the final 3 -- or even the final 2 -- but they won't know for sure who wins until it airs on TV.

Q: When You're Producing Episodes For The Show Do You Animate Episodes First Or Record The Voice Actors First,And Do Any Of The Voice Actors Add Lib To The Original Script?

A: All of the voice work is done first. Most of the actors come into the studio here in Toronto -- but a couple of them do their recordings remotely from places like Vancouver and Los Angeles. They stick pretty much to the script and record the lines AS WRITTEN -- but guys like Scott McCord (Owen and Trent) have a tendency to drop the odd ad-lib in. For instance, when Owen eats the entire fake food buffet in season two it was scripted that he tells everyone he's fine -- and that he has a gut like a goat. Scott recorded that then at the last second blurted out-- "nope! call 911". That line made us all laugh so we kept it in. Often our board artists think of funny gags too that need additional lines -- season one's "Purple Gerbil Fishpants" was coined by board artist Ted Collyer when he storyboarded the sequence when Owen got stung by bees. Since these new lines are often written long after the recording session, the actor's have to be called back to do the line. Sometimes the actor isn't available to record the new line before the scenes have to be animated. When this happens we record what's known as "scratch". One of the editors, or Todd or I will record the lines ourselves (There's a reason why some people are voice actors and some people are not) and the animator will animate to our voice. Then later on, the actor will have to watch the scene and say the lines to match the animation.

Good questions -- keep em coming.