First airing in the year 2000, CBS’ “Survivor” is currently airing its 43rd season. The show immediately made headlines and captivated audiences nationwide. It has consistently been the most-watched program on television Wednesdays at eight p.m., not to mention releasing over 600 episodes in its nearly 23 year run. The show shows no sign of slowing down, having already been renewed for a 44th, 45th, and 46th season. The ratings have had some dips and valleys, but all in all, CBS has proven time and again that “Survivor” is a quality competition program, maintaining relatively high ratings overall. But I must ask, am I the only one who prefers “old school Survivor?”

“New school Survivor,” which many fans see as having started around 2015 and beyond, has been full of advantages. Not just the famous hidden immunity idols, but other advantages, such as nullifiers, amulets, and ‘Beware Advantages’ have flooded the game in recent years. While some fans find these twists engaging and exciting to the advancement of the game, I cannot help but long for the old days, when there were little to no advantages. I streamed every episode of “Survivor” on Paramount+ last year. That’s right, over 600 hour-long episodes in about seven months. The classic seasons, particularly seasons 2, 6, and 7, had no advantages, yet were wildly entertaining. It was simply a ‘stick together and survive’ type of game. Season 11 introduced the hidden immunity idol, an iconic “Survivor” relic.

Personally, I find the idol to be the only necessary advantage in the game. The two most recent seasons (41 and 42), were absolutely flooded with advantages. In my opinion, when it becomes hard to remember who has what advantage (and how many they have), there are too many in the game. I mean, last season one contestant had five advantages at one time. In my opinion, there shouldn’t even be five advantages in the entire game, let alone in the hands of a single player. Because of the obscene amount of advantages present in recent seasons, they have been less entertaining to me. 

But that’s not to say the show cannot redeem itself. In the early 2010s the show went through a ‘dark age’ with boring seasons and lower ratings. This season looks promising thus far, with far less advantages muddying the playing field. Perhaps the show is currently emerging from a dark age. Whether you’re a ‘new school’ or an ‘old school’ fan, there’s no doubt that Survivor has built up an impressive television résumé. “Survivor” airs Wednesdays at 8pm on CBS and Paramount+ premium.