The hit reality television series Survivor has been broadcast in our homes for 15 years now and I still cannot get enough of it.
Now for some people, the idea of 16 to 20 strangers from different walks of life from across the United States, all “stranded” on a remote island or secluded area may have worn out its shine years ago. But for this Survivor fan, I keep looking forward to what new twists and changes each season brings.
With twists such as family members facing off, tribes separated by age, sex, ethnicity or whether or not the player was viewed as a hero or villain, and a season where you may have been voted off the island but you had a chance at redemption and could fight other eliminated castaways for a chance back into the game, Survivor is far from struggling in its 15th year.
We are currently in the 31st season of the long-running series, and to be honest it seems to me the producers of the show are having no difficulty in bringing in new themes to keep the competitors and fans alike on their toes just when they think they have the game completely figured out.
For the 31st season, referred to as Survivor: Cambodia – Second Chance, the show decided to bring back castaways from older seasons who had not won the game and had not returned to the game for a second time in a prior season.
One more twist was that Survivor fans across the world would vote for which castaways they would like to see earn their second chance on the island.
Thanks to this returning castaway twist, we get to see some of the most memorable “old-school” Survivors return to take on the new-age style of the game. Players like first season runner-up Kelly Wigglesworth and Season 12 Immunity Challenge beast Terry Deitz, return to take on some of the more cerebral players from more recent seasons, like Stephen Fishbach of Survivor: Tocantins, Spencer Bledsoe of Survivor: Cagayan and Ciera Eastin from Survivor: Blood vs. Water.
It has been the perfect blend of two different generations of the game mashing into one awesome season. We’re not even halfway through the season and it is shaping up to be one of the most memorable in the show’s history.
I may be biased to seasons that have returning players – maybe due to the fact that you know the characters already and you don’t have to spend half a season learning their names and stories – but believe me, this season is great.
There have been epic blindsides, two tribal switches, great immunity challenges and even the return of ‘Chaos’ Kass McQuillen.
At this point in the season, it has been everything a Survivor fan could want in a time when the show is “struggling” for ideas.
