Survivor

Emily Hoopes, Writer

The television show Survivor centers around a group of people that have been stranded on a desert island and are left to fend for themselves for 39 days. Every few days, they compete in challenges for rewards and immunity from leaving the game. The team who loses is sent to tribal council where the tribe has to vote one of its own members off the island.

Once the game reaches its midpoint the multiple tribes merge into one allowing a more individual game to occur. Those who are voted out from this point forward create a jury and will eventually vote for who they want to win the game out of the last three standing. This decision comes with heavy thought as the winner of Survivor will be given one million dollars.

Airing in 2000 and 37 seasons and over 550 episodes later, Survivor had a record breaking statistic of 50 million viewers for the finale episode, the highest ever for a reality TV show.

As players play the game, mental and physical struggles are very common. Breakdowns and evacuations due to medical reason are something that is seen almost every season. Which truly show the intensity of this game.  

To make it through the game successfully, being able to create alliances or relationships with the people on their tribes is important. As survivor is based on physical ability to win challenges, the social aspect is even more present, as the ability to lie and decieve is possibly the most valuable skill.

With many more seasons to come, I look forward to watching the show and seeing each year how the players move through the game figuring everything along the way.