I really like Survivor. It’s the best actuality competitors present in TV historical past, and whereas I clearly watch each new episode the second they drop, I additionally generally return and watch older seasons. Lately, I rewatched Pearl Islands and was trying up some data on fan favourite Rupert Boneham after I got here throughout some feedback he made a number of years in the past about how the sport has developed. They’re extra true now than they have been on the time he stated them.
In an interview with CBS 4 in Indianapolis (Rupert is a giant Indiana man), he talked about what has modified on Survivor through the years. His feedback have been in reference to Season 41, however they extra typically apply to all of the more moderen seasons which have concerned plenty of twists and turns. Right here’s what he stated…
What occurred to ‘Survivor’ the place it counts in your social sport, in your sport play. Folks say I’ve no sport play they usually don’t perceive as a result of I inform everyone what’s occurring and I share all the things. However there’s no different man on the market that’s received 100 days in three video games. I do know the worth within the social play, it’s how I made it by way of. You begin throwing challenges and issues in there that social play doesn’t matter? You’re taking a part of the sport away. They need to return to the outdated approach, eight individuals on every tribe. Strangers. I do know I’d like to play once more! However, strangers. No meals, no water, no nothing. And watch them starve, and wrestle and see who the most effective Survivor is.
Rupert clearly stated rather a lot right here, however within the easiest potential phrases, he’s saying the social sport and the precise surviving a part of Survivor have been deemphasized. And that’s an absolute reality. Return and watch the early seasons. Who will get voted out nonetheless typically has rather a lot to do with technique and long-term considering, nevertheless it additionally is commonly correlated with who can get together with the opposite gamers. Issues like choosing up round camp, fishing and having a robust work ethic are legitimate causes to maintain individuals round, however that’s much less typically the case now.
First, the sport has been shrunk down from thirty-nine days to twenty-six days. Jeff Probst and firm don’t appear to assume it issues as a result of it simply accelerates the tempo of challenges from each three days to each two days, however psychologically, that’s a fully huge deal that has a huge effect on the sport each single season. By having competitions extra typically, it retains the gamers in sport play mode, which makes them prioritize fixed strategizing over camp life. I’m not saying being a huge ache within the ass doesn’t nonetheless get individuals voted out. It does. However when you’ve got an additional day between each single problem, it leaves time for character conflicts to flare up.
Second, the sport options so many twists and turns now which you could’t settle into a great rhythm along with your tribemates. Typically the twists and turns do not even make logical sense. Should you’re randomly dropping your buff and switching tribes, all you’re nervous about is numbers. Should you’re consistently looking out for hidden benefits and random large twists, all you’re obsessing about is gameplay. What did that particular person get on their journey they went on? Who has a clue to the Idol? Each second you’re interested by that could be a second you’re not interested by how pissed off you might be with somebody being lazy at camp.
Third, the present appears to be casting lots of people recently who simply do not appear to have it in them to truly survive on the market. There is a sure pleasure in watching individuals get on on the market, join with nature and attempt to Swiss Household Robinson there approach into making it work. However in an effort to deliver on extra enjoyable personalities, the present has forged lots of people not too long ago who do not appear to be they may survive an evening tenting of their yard. A number of individuals give up this season.
And to some followers, that won’t matter. Actually the brand new Survivor has been designed to create a gentle stream of a-ha moments that includes extra excessive gamers, however a few of us don’t want these large moments to benefit from the present. A few of us wish to see the actual wrestle of individuals surviving. We wish to see whether or not an alliance can maintain over the course of 12 or 15 days with out the sport throwing in some large twist. We wish to see if spending hours discovering firewood every single day is sufficient to maintain somebody within the sport who would possibly in any other case be on the outs.
I really like Survivor. I’ll at all times love Survivor. However studying Rupert’s feedback right here made me nostalgic for the sooner days of Survivor during which the social sport and the way good you have been at really surviving mattered.
