Alas, Survivor 50 is here! Since I started writing for the Hawks’ Herald, I’ve remained pretty consistent on my Survivor updates. It feels fitting that my final update is on the iconic 50th season of the CBS reality competition show. Unfortunately, the update is not as I had hoped.
I know this season was “in the hands of the fans”. And I made sure my voice was heard. But here’s what I did not vote for: unequal confessionals, a Billie Eilish Boomerang Idol, and Zac Brown. I voted for all of the aspects that would make Survivor 50 mirror “old-school Survivor” the most. I’m talking no rice, no advantages (other than idols), minimal twists, and definitely no Mr. Beast cameos. Instead, what I’ve received is essentially “Christian and Friends” (no shade to Christian, he’s an icon, but he’s also all I see every week), too many advantages to count, and more Zac Brown confessionals in 20 minutes than Chrissy has gotten all season.
As I’ve mentioned in previous pieces, the “old-school” sort of format allowed for a more entertaining format where the castaways’ personalities were at the forefront, not their flashy plays. Executive producer and host Jeff Probst has said Survivor was started as a social experiment to see what a group of strangers would do if they were stranded on an island with nothing. The challenges were added simply so people could be eliminated without the show becoming Lord of the Flies. But what started out as a simple concept has spiraled out of control with advantages and journeys galore. This show might be entertaining to some, but even if it is, it’s not Survivor. It’s a different game that I find too overwhelming and unsatisfying.
I do have hope for my show. I hope Jeff sees how unhappy fans, including myself, have been with some of the choices that have been made. I hope they keep the aspects like casting big personalities (like Devens and Coach). I hope they keep the 90-minute episodes. But I hope Jeff realizes that, even the seasoned Survivor watchers like myself are finding a season that was catered towards us overwhelming and impersonal.
Oh, and Jeff, NEVER do the “Blood Moon” again. Survivor having more “chance” involved than Vegas does not fly with me.
