'Survivor' 5 Thriving - Sun Sep 22, 9:03 PM ET By Rick Kissell

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - There appears to be no extinguishing the "Survivor" torch, as the fifth edition of the CBS reality adventure series opened very well on Thursday.

According to Nielsen, "Survivor: Thailand" averaged 23.05 million viewers and a 9.6 rating/28 share in adults 18-49, a 5% improvement in the coveted demographic vs. the "Survivor 4" premiere last winter.

--More people watch Survivor that the Sopranos? go Figure.