Without a doubt, my favorite reality TV show of all time is Survivor. It's currently on it's 40th season right now, going 20 years strong. I have watched every single episode since season 2. I didn't watch the first season live, as I was a bit too young and I didn't know if it was going to be worth watching. I am currently in the middle of re-watching every season on Hulu. Thank God Hulu put all of the seasons on Survivor (up until season 34 or so). Oddly enough, in the earlier seasons, some of the episodes are not on Hulu, due to the contestants singing a song that is copyrighted or trademarked. Eventually, CBS learned not to show contestants singing those kinds of songs.
Survivor is not only my favorite reality TV show ever, it is one of my favorite TV shows ever, period. There is not one other show I've watched consistently for the past 20 years. It's been a part of my adolescent and now adult life. Every September and February, a new season has aired since 2000. I may not watch every episode live (due to conflicts with other shows, being busy with work or social plans, etc.), but I at least watch them eventually.
I think there are three reasons why Survivor has stood the test of time. One, it's always been about people and all the social games and politics. And those people have generally been interesting characters, ones we either grow attached to or despise. Two, it's not stayed the same game all the time, and has slowly evolved over the seasons to keep things interesting, new, and fresh. And three, the show's amazing host, Jeff Probst. Jeff's enthusiasm for the show and his ability to get the perfect responses out of people at Tribal Council make this show worth watching. If CBS had picked the wrong host way back in 2000, there's no way it would still be on.
The one problem Survivor is starting to face is making the show too confusing and complex. It's easy for the average person to keep track of Immunity Idols, but to ask the majority of people to keep track of other advantages (Steal a vote, block a vote, Idol nullifiers) as well is just asking too much. To top if off, they have introduced a currency of "Fire Tokens" in their 40th season. What they almost need is a segment where they show everyone's advantages and running fire tokens total. Thanks to a fan suggestion on Twitter, a few seasons ago they started putting what advantages each player has underneath their name. But that's only a modest amount of help.
I have thought about applying for Survivor, and technically I have. About a decade ago, Survivor allowed people to submit three minute videos of just themselves. That's all they had to do to apply. I made a video and submitted it, but never got a response. It's still on YouTube, and you can watch it here and cringe along with me. I think I'm better suited for the game now, having studied all the players and watching the show twice now. Once I get in better shape, I think I will seriously apply for the show and hope for the best.
So when will Survivor end? My guess is around the 50th season or so. If Probst decides to retire or stop doing the show, can Survivor even go on? I don't think I'd watch it with a new host. It certainly wouldn't be the same show without him. Let's hope Jeff continues to want to do the show until it can't go on anymore. But the one thing I'm afraid of is that the show becomes so convoluted with advantages and idols that it is no longer recognizable as the game it was twenty years ago. It's starting to get that way, but what the show needs to do is go back to its roots. Perhaps for one season they could do no advantages, except for perhaps one hidden immunity idol, and focus more on the survival aspect, just to see how well that season does with the fans. I bet it would be received even better.
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