TV's Best Online Offerings: Survivor the game, CSI live, and a New Girl song!

This week's top TV shows invite you to play and sing along

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TV's Best Online Offerings: Survivor the game, CSI live, and a New Girl song!
This week's digital goodies include a live chat with people who deal with the dead, a test of survival, and an interactive video that's cuter than a bug's ear.

cb-csi-video-300CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Do you remember a day when you didn't know what CSI stood for? The show, now in its 12th season, is still pulling in an audience despite major changes in the cast. Now, CBS is giving fans a peek behind the curtain at the people who have made the series such a success.

Anatomy of a TV Hit: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation revolves around nine webisodes. Some look at the making of the show's pilot, and others are devoted to the details of this week's episode, Stealing Home.

The day after each webisode release, there's a corresponding live chat on Facebook. Actor George Eads kicked off the first event. Upcoming chats will feature crew members involved in casting, special effects, and writing the series. New character profiles and trivia pop up every couple of days, and you're invited to vote in the weekly Favorite Episode Face-off.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
More info: Official site, Facebook, Twitter
Watch online: Recent episodes on CBS and past seasons on Netflix

Survivor: One World
This is season 24 for Survivor, and it's the guys against the girls — but with a twist. This time out, they all have to share the same beach.

Contestants include a former LAPD officer, a stand-up comedian, a plastic surgeon, and the ever-devious time-share saleswoman. Look out for her! There's also a minor celebrity in the pack, Monica Culpepper, ex-wife of NFL star Brad Culpepper.

cb-survivor-tribe-300Want to experience the adventure for yourself? Play Survivor World on Facebook. Create a character, recruit a team, then compete in challenges while trying to survive in the jungle. You have keep a supply of food and water on hand, build a shelter, and constantly collect objects to ensure the health of your team and yourself. If you can't handle these tasks with just your wits, you can always buy Facebook credits and use them to purchase what you need. Is that cheating? Of course not. This is Survivor, where the motto is Outwit, Outplay, Outlast.

For those who prefer betting over gaming, play the Survivor Fantasy Game. Pick the four castaways you think will perform the best in this week's episode, then watch the show and wait for the results. Team didn't do so well? You can swap out your players any time before the next episode airs.

The person with the highest point total at the end of the season will win a trip to the South Pacific. CBS will also enter the point leaders from each week in a random drawing for a Survivor Viewing Party package that includes a TV and $500.

Think you're Survivor's Ultimate Fan? Claim the title by completing challenges inside CBS's fan community forum. The winner will get a trip to the Survivor finale. 

Survivor: One World
More info: Official site, Facebook, Twitter

New Girl
After all that crime and punishment, you can use a lighthearted break. For that, you need the queen of quirky, Zooey Deschanel. Her sitcom, New Girl, is about an adorkable, bubbly young woman who moves in with three guys after breaking up with her boyfriend. It's like slacker version of The Big Bang Theory, and it's sweet enough to require dental checkups after each viewing.

In real life, Zooey loves music and the ukulele, so Fox put together an interactive music video called Hey Girl that features the cast of New Girl getting pulled into a wild party. How wild depends on you. At various points throughout the video, choices appear on the screen. Pick one, and the video sails off in a different direction. Marching or mayhem? Will she stumble or fall? Near the end, you're offered a choice of four party themes. Pick a theme, and you'll be offered even more choices.

cb-newgirl-video-630

Because there are choices inside of choices, there are hundreds of ways to mix and match the video. Check out the Video Clip section of the website to see the favorite mix from each of the cast members.

Think the whole interactive, cute music video idea is stupid? Then perhaps you should take the New Girl Are You a Douchebag? quiz. For everyone else, there's The Girlfriend Code quiz and the What Kind of Roommate Are You? quiz, both guaranteed to give you accurate results.

New Girl
More info: Official site, Facebook, Twitter
Watch online: Recent episodes on Fox and Hulu

Outwit, outplay, outrageous
The people of CSI and Survivor truly are a special breed. Not everyone has the fortitude to photograph a crime scene or go six days on nothing but coconut milk and bugs. But when it comes to spreading joy and happiness around the world, no one does it better than Zooey. If even a tiny bit of her perkiness rubbed off on everyone who watches her, the world would be a better place.

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