I have often posted about Survivor here; being a huge fan, why not? I hope to go on the show someday, and I have applied to be on the show. So this post might not look great for me if I ever were to get on Survivor. However, I would hope if anyone from CBS/Survivor sees this, they'd use this as constructive criticism and a way to improve their show.
Don't get me wrong, I love the show, but I nitpicked to find ten things I would change about the show. These ten things aren't in any order, although I will count down from #10. Here they are:
10. Avoid "team reward" challenges, especially when there are an odd number of players
I hate it when, after the merge, Jeff splits the individual players into two teams for a reward challenge. It's as if the crew is saying they don't have enough individual challenge ideas and need to save them for immunity. I could live with these "team reward" challenges, so long as they only happen when there are an even number of players in the game. When they do these types of reward challenges when there are an odd number of players, it leaves one person out with no shot at even competing for reward. Everyone should have a shot. Also, when a single individual wins reward and they pick 1-3 players to go with them, it can have a ripple effect on the game, which adds a layer of complexity in the social game.
9. Go back to the original final tribal council format
One of my favorite parts of each Survivor season is when the jury questions the Final 2 or 3. But with the new "open forum" Final Tribal Council format, it's not as entertaining. It's not as organized, and it can leave a few jurors with little or nothing to say. I would often look forward to the old format to see if certain players would hold a grudge and lash out at the Final 2 or 3. I mean, think about the most entertaining or memorable jury speeches of all time. Have any happened since this change? Nope. Also, I liked how each member of the Final 2 or 3 got to have an opening and closing statement. At some point, they got rid of the closing statements, and then in "Worlds Apart" Season 30, they got rid of opening statements as well. Bring those back!
8. Less advantages
In more recent seasons, there has been an almost crazy amount of advantages. It's to the point where even the most dedicated fans and viewers have a tough time keeping track. I do like immunity idols and the occasional advantage, but when there are so many, the value of them diminishes. Fire Tokens aren't a terrible idea, but the casual viewer cannot be expected to keep track of everyone's Fire Token count. If they absolutely must keep Fire Tokens and a large number of advantages, perhaps display an overlay of advantages/Fire Tokens at certain parts in the show, such as when someone earns Fire Tokens or an advantage, or during the booted person's final confessional.
7. Show a little more of the "survival" aspect
I miss when Survivor showed the players fishing, foraging for food, or building the shelter. They still show a little bit, but I know most fans would like to see more. If anything someone does earns them respect around camp, I feel like we as viewers have a right to see it, even if it's mundane as fishing. For example, Wendell may have won Ghost Island because he did a great job at building shelters, but we never really got to see that. I know they have a lot of other things to fit in, such as challenges, strategy talk, and whatnot, but seeing a bit more of the survival aspect would definitely balance out the show a bit.
6. Film somewhere else besides Fiji
I understand the financial benefits of filming in Fiji for every season, but doing that is becoming extremely repetitive. Survivor filming locations should be like Super Bowl locations: it's okay to use the same location, just not twice (or more) in a row. As I understand, they film two seasons back-to-back, so one idea is that they could film two seasons in Fiji, then next year film two seasons in Nicaragua or somewhere else, then go back to Fiji the following year. If Survivor stays in Fiji, it will die in Fiji.
5. Bring back the auction
One thing I miss is the Survivor auction! I think they stopped it because too many players would sit on their money waiting for an advantage (thanks, cast of Worlds Apart). There are ways around this. They could include hidden advantages at random with different food items. They could have Jeff announce there will not be any advantages and there will be only food. Or if they use Fire Tokens again, they could have a "Fire Tokens Only" auction where you bid on items with Fire Tokens. Just bring back the auction!
4. For the love of God, no more Edge of Extinction
I know they have only used it for two seasons, but the Edge of Extinction has allowed two early boots to make it to the Final Tribal Council, and one of them to win. A huge majority of Survivor fans do not like this twist. In fact, basically any twist that allows a player to return to the game after being voted out is generally not well-received, especially when the earlier boots have an equal or better chance of getting back in to the game. I don't know what their fascination is with bringing back voted out players, but it needs to stop. In my opinion (and a majority of Survivor fans opinions as well), the Edge of Extinction twist really put a damper on "Winners at War".
3. Jeff needs to calm down a bit at challenges
If anyone remembers, Jeff's commentary at challenges was way toned down in earlier seasons compared to what it's been in recent seasons. In fact, in season one, it was non-existent. I enjoy Jeff's commentary at challenges--in doses. I may be in the minority on this one, but I feel like Jeff's commentary has been a bit over the top in recent seasons. I do like when he berates players for struggling as it's pretty funny. But when he says things like "That's how you do it on Survivor!", it makes me roll my eyes. This is something I am honestly really nitpicking at; Jeff is definitely one of the highlights of the show. But Jeff was at his peak with his commentary in seasons 10-20, I'd say.
2. Bring back more physical challenges
I know there are safety risks involved with them, but they are the most entertaining challenges in Survivor history. "Sumo at Sea" is my favorite. But we haven't seen it used since "San Juan Del Sur". I also like "By Any Means Necessary", but we haven't seen the beach/sand version since "Heroes vs. Villains". These challenges are wildly entertaining, and I'd love to see at least "Sumo at Sea" brought back. And maybe come up with new challenge ideas which are fairly physical (but safe).
1. Cast more Survivor fans and "recruit" less players that aren't fans
I love when we see hardcore Survivor fans on the show. They play the game hard and well. When various players are recruited, to either fit a theme or because of their looks, they become cannon fodder, basically. Players that are recruited don't really play the game; they just go along with the flow. And when these players make it to the end, they never have a shot at winning. I'd love to see a season of ONLY hard core fans and perhaps even only fans that have applied multiple times. That would be interesting to see.
If CBS/Survivor even makes a handful of these changes, it will benefit the show in the long run and allow it to continue for many more years. If not, we could see the beginning of the end of one of my favorite television programs of all time. I'd rather the show go out on top than be forced to cancel because of a decline in viewership/production value.
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