Most of the time I can’t remember which day of the week it is anymore, but the one thing that I have counted on this entire quarantine is Wednesday nights from 8 to 9. Why? Because for an hour I can escape to some island in the South Pacific to watch 20 Americans from all walks of life battle it out for the title of “Sole-Survivor” and $1 million.
“Survivor” is an American reality show that combines survival skills with social skills. Contestants are split into 2 or more tribes and through a series of challenges and tribal councils over a period of 39 days, are made to navigate relationships among their fellow tribemates in hopes to be one of the last people standing among the tribe. Currently in the homestretch of its 40th season, “Survivor” made its premiere in May 2000 and is still going strong today. CBS recently announced its renewal for a season 41, stating that the show is watched by around 10 million viewers.
What is it about this show that keeps people coming back for more? Personally, I think that “Survivor”’s premise is genius. Essentially the show is a giant social experiment, much like “Big Brother” but it adds the element of survival and endurance that pushes people to their limits. The contestants or “survivors” are initially given one bag of rice per tribe that’s meant to last them until the end of the game. The physical transformation is astounding to see from the first day on the beach to the last. And on top of navigating tribe society, the survivors are in a constant battle with the elements, as often they are faced with monsoons, extreme heat, bugs, snakes and other hardships. There have been quite a few people who’ve called it quits on the show because of how physically and mentally demanding the environment is.
Watching these people suffer and work through all that this environment throws at them each week makes for great TV. But that’s not the only thing that brings people back. The real key to the show is the people who play it. The show’s cast displays a wide range of diversity of people from all over the country, careers, socioeconomic status, age, gender, race and ability. They’ve had contestants who are deaf, have prosthetic limbs, CEOs, athletes, stay-at-home moms, nurses, college students and a 75-year-old WWII veteran. These people are real everyday people. A crucial element of the show is the individual confessionals throughout the episodes that allow for contestants to share only with the audience what they are truly thinking and about personal stories that give us background into who they are. You may find yourself a favorite player at the beginning episode, but then by the end of it, something happened to make you really connect with another.
I have been a fan of this show for as long as I can remember and it’s amazing to see how far this show and the gameplay have evolved since the first season. Each season there is some new twist added or a specific theme that affects how tribes are divided or the challenges that they have to endure. For example, Season 30 saw contestants initially split up into social class tribes of “white-collar,” “blue-collar” and “no-collar.” Another season divided tribes based on the characteristics of brains, brawn and beauty.
All this praise isn’t to say that the show is perfect. It’s had its share of flops and controversial moments. The show has tackled topics ranging from race and gender to sexuality. When so many people of different backgrounds are forced to be together for 39 days with nothing else, tensions often run high. But I’d argue that “Survivor” has helped people – both contestants and viewers – to confront and talk about differences and social issues that many may not have had to deal with before and give exposure to important issues.
In 2019, the show entered the #MeToo age, with the first-ever ejection from the game for inappropriate behavior for an off-camera incident. There was controversy surrounding the incident as a fellow contestant had complained about the man’s behavior towards her but ultimately came to nothing as she was voted out and the contestant remained in the game for a longer period of time. In the aftershow following the finale, Jeff Probst, the host of “Survivor”, and the producers took time to address the whole situation and gave the female contestant who originally complained a spotlight to not only be able to tell her story but to also give her feedback on how the show should have handled the situation better. This was a huge step for a show of this caliber and made the entire production team come up with better ways to prevent and deal with these situations again, including providing more support and resources to cast members.
While an incident like this is truly awful and should never happen in the first place, this moment showcases how “Survivor” is constantly dealing with and adapting to new challenges. In many ways, it reflects the challenges present in our society. “Survivor” is in many aspects a dramatic game show with people playing hard for a cash prize, but it’s also a lot more than that. The show has and continues to provide a space that tests people and shows them their true mental and physical toughness. It also has evolved over 20 years to fit and reflect the current day, making it a breath of fresh air to sit down and experience during a mostly monotone time.