I have been watching Survivor since I was ten years old. I dressed up, with my Micronesia: Fans v. Favorite buff, as a Survivor for Halloween. I had a Survivor-themed birthday, complete with challenges, blindsides, alliances, and the long-lost Exile Island. As a superfan, I live and breathe Survivor. This season was no different.
The 33rd season showcased the intended premise of the show: a ragtag group of anonymous, eclectic strangers trying to survive on an island, battling physical, social, and emotional elements, for a million-dollar prize. It typically features a collection of Americans boasting different backgrounds and stories that appeal to a mass audience of viewers. Arguably, far more important than the cash prize, is the chance to prove your strength, the transformative process you undergo regardless of how long you reside on the island. In this season, we saw socially anxious nerds metamorphose into stone-cold strategists, power players, and engaging leaders. In previous seasons, we see codependent people forge their own paths, city dwellers adapt to wilderness, and trusting people think analytically. Unlike other reality television, Survivor aims to construct thematic narratives focused on personal evolution. People fail, grow, and change.
In recent years, however, Survivor has strayed from its path of anonymity in favor of fame. It tends to hail the entertainment industry in the worst ways, allowing previous players and winners to participate on the show multiple times to garner more views. Though these players are beloved, and entertaining to watch, it defeats the purpose. Rarely do we see nobodies plucked out of oblivion, representations of the common man to root for or against. It’s now an empire built on its own celebrities, mass producing and selling fan favorites, which is why this season was so refreshing. We were given new people in which to invest, people who had compelling stories, and displayed varying degrees of fandom, just like the audience. The “characters” were raw, vulnerable, fresh-faced, and energetic. We see the show through their eyes, so everything is new and exciting, even if it’s not.
The early seasons of Survivor epitomize the meaning behind the show better than the recent seasons combined. The competitors are innocent and unaware of the fame and status of the Survivor empire. Much like some Hollywood child actors, they experience the shining glory days before corrupt commercialization. While Survivor has strayed from the original concept time to time, it still resonates. Its tale is universal. Everyone wonders if they have what it takes to survive extreme conditions or circumstances, but they might not get a chance to find out. Most of us have this longing for adventure and fighting for glory and testing our strength. Survivor provides an outlet for these thoughtful wanderings.
For me, and other fans out there, Survivor is more than just a show. We glimpse the interactions among strangers within difficult and impossible circumstance, and see how we might act and behave and talk. It’s more than an escape because it’s too close to life. It’s as real as television can be.
