Past Survivor Seasons - News & Discussion

While searching for the regular shows I watch online this week, I found an episode of Australian Survivor, curious to see how close it is to the American version I downloaded it and just finished the first episode. On the current season that I believe is airing right now, Russell Hantz is on one of the two teams.

The show is identical to the US version, with the obvious exception of a different host other than Jeff Probst. The format of the show is the same, the music is the same, the logos and fonts and all the production looks almost the same, right down to the "script" (ie all the stuff like "cmon in guys" at challenges and "if anyone has a hidden immunity idol and would like to use it now would be the time to do so" at Tribal").

Only other difference is that there seems to be 26 episodes in a season and it airs multiple times a week.

Sad news today.  Ashley Massaro; WWE wrestler and Survivor China contestant, has died at the age of 39

www.etonline.com/ashley-massaro-wwe-wrestler-dead-at-39-125432

Rudy with the saggy undies? Ahhhh...he was such a character. RIP

Rudy, what a character .May he RIP.

I'm finally watching the whole first season of Survivor. I had started watching it when it aired on tv but only got to the episode where they ate a rat before quitting.  It just didn't catch my interest at the time.  It sure has been eye-opening!  For one thing, Jeff is so much younger and not nearly as commanding and polished as he becomes in later seasons.  So many of the things that we take for granted on future seasons, such as forming alliances, were brand new back then.  There's only one alliance through most of the show so votes go every which way at tribal council.  There may be 6 different people who get a vote.  The individual immunity idol is called a talisman.

Jeff also seems more involved with the contestants on a personal level.  At one challenge, everyone is sitting on a pier with their feet in the water, including Jeff, while he gives the instructions about how the challenge will work.  Two contestants have a bbq for the reward and Jeff is there with them, serving up the food!

I have to hand it to Richard Hatch.  He is cool as a cucumber throughout the whole season and seems to have a good read on people.  There were two times he was close to being voted out but he managed to make it through.  I definitely think he deserved the win.

It must be exciting to be the contestants on that season.  That didn't know at the time how historic the show would become and that it would continue on this many seasons later. I credit Survivor for ushering in the age of reality tv.  It was the first big one I remember and many other reality shows that came after it used it as a guide for their show.

I am doing this right now.  I'm going to binge the season

Finished episodes 2 and 3 started 4. 

The first episodes this season still reads as folks marooned on an island trying to figure out how to survive, how to eat, how to build a shelter, how to deal with each other. Even knowing it is a social game people are still tripping over their own personalities. Trying to lead even if their leadership ideas are not that great, like BB insisting on building a shelter in full sun on the beach near the tide line versus listening to Gretchen who was a survival instructor for 6 years for the Air Force. Even after BB was voted out she had to insist on being heard over Joel who wanted the leadership role. Good leaders listen, that's why I call BB and Joel more alpha males who don't know everything but think they do. 

I can see the intensity of the game picking up at the end of episode 3 and now in episode 4 it has been revealed that there is an alliance. I think folks got stuck in their heads for many seasons that they best person who exemplified all the qualities needed to survive would win. That honesty and hard work will get you the prize. That does not happen in real life. How many of us have non qualified managers who messed you up? All of us have had that experience. For many seasons people apologized for how they behaved to get to the final tribal. I notice they don't do that anymore. Instead of voting off people because you don't like them you keep them because they are your meat shield.

Anyway it is nice to watch and see how this evolved. 

Thought I would start a new thread for discussions and thoughts of the old seasons.

I am watching Season 1 the merge episode.  So far it seems like a documentary.   The challenges were simpler but  more interesting and not all puzzles.  Love the mediations at the merge.    It's so much different.  Loving it, though.

Go to Amazon Prime, Search on Survivor, click '*' to put it in your watchlist -- all the seasons are there. 

You can find previous seasons of Survivor on both HULU or Amazon Prime.

They also have The Amazing Race.

Wish they had MTV's The Challenge. 

I love how offended they are by the idea of alliances.


I am on the final 5 immunity trivia challenge, the Rudy I dunno challenge. Cracking me up.

I just finished Season 1. What a refreshing change from the last number of years.
These people had no idea what to expect, what it was even about, and how to handle it. It was wonderful to see that.
I got a kick out of the appalled and emotional reaction to alliances. They thought alliances were just so wrong & Kelly was almost in tears at the end, in regret that she had joined one.

Rich was the only one who "got it" about the show. Without any previous example, he set the standard & laid the rules for future seasons. He pretty much wrote the rule book.
Everyone else thought it would be about surviving on the deserted island. He knew it was about surviving & controlling the people.

Rudy is a breath of fresh air too. So totally politically incorrect, grumpy, and often abrasive. But it came off funny and honest rather than offensive.

I also enjoyed the challenges. Much simpler in design, but just as difficult to win. Many more of them were related to "surviving".
I preferred these to the complex ones they have nowadays. Some of them are darned near set up like elaborate carnival rides.
I can see now how unnecessary that is.

After it was over, I wanted to watch Season 2, but apparently it's not released. Even Alexa couldn't find it for me.

Not sure what CBS All Access is, but I'm pretty sure I don't have it.
I only have the basic Broadcast Networks, Amazon Prime, and Netflix.
Unless something else is included for free with the Fire Stick or Netflix, I don't have it.

I've never had PayTV and probably never will.
My "Provider" is an electrical outlet & the Fire Stick.

Unfortunately, MissScarlett, CBS All Access is an internet ($5.99 w/commercials)that can be accessed on your TV through a Roku Device or other interactive device that pulls from the internet. It can also be viewed on your computer.

I was just coming here to comment on that Season. It's the only other one I could find that is available on Amazon Prime. All the others want you to buy them on CBS All Access. No thanks.
This has always been my favorite season. I know a lot of people didn't like it because the location was so harsh, no water challenges, and the people were more serious & even somewhat down, because of the harsh location. This is part of the reason I liked it so much. No "summer camp" for these people. It was tough.

The location was downright dangerous & very restrictive. The food was extremely lacking. If I remember correctly, Big Tom lost 80lbs. Yes, that's more than 2lbs a day for 39 days!
The others who made it toward the end also looked like they were starving. Emaciated & very weather beaten.
I think after this season TPTB started feeding them more regularly or at least made sure they had access to food of some sort.

I had almost forgotten about the "Mall Rats". What a poor example of young people. Lazy, snotty, rude, and very entitled. About the most useless bunch the show has ever had. If they had succeeded in getting rid of the middle aged people, they probably would have died.
Also, this season had my all time favorite alliance: Lex, Big Tom, and Ethan. All 3 likable, hard working, and loyal for most of the season. But by the end they were all getting downright unhinged. I think they needed some mental health professionals to get them back on track. It was probably from the starvation, the heat, the confinement, and bacteria they all had in them.

This season was possibly the most like actual harsh Survival than any other season.
Also, a good winner who made me happy to see win.