It says a lot about the sad state of modern-day Survivor that the main selling points of a season are the facts that it A) features an entirely fresh cast, B) the players are out of the game once they're voted out, and C) there's nobody in the cast with the last name Hantz. But after CBS took the show off the air in 2011 in favor of a spin-off called "Redemption Island starring 'Boston Rob' Mariano, Russell Hantz, Benjamin 'Coach' Wade and Ozzy Lusth," Survivor is finally back. There are still a lot of problems that need to be fixed, but the current season is a step in the right direction...on paper at least.
I was really looking forward to the premiere because I think the "One World" concept is a great one--this is the kind of tweak that the show needs; something that creates a new dynamic without disrupting the fabric of the original game. I'll reluctantly admit that I was pretty underwhelmed for a couple reasons, but I'm still holding out hope that we have a good season. A couple thoughts:
-I think at this point, they need to stop referring to them as "hidden" immunity idols. The producers rely on them too much to drive drama, and the last seasons where they really filled that order were Samoa and Heroes vs. Villains (both of which went WAY overboard, with a whopping six idols played in HvV alone). I'd like to see give them a break for a few seasons, but I know to pick my battles here, and there are bigger issues to fix. But still, I wish they would let the game play out before the merge and then put the idol into it. And I don't really understand what's so bad about actually burying or hiding them.
-I'm glad Jeff didn't tell them in advance about the One World twist, and that they were surprised when they got to camp. It played out as I expected it would initially, with the tribes reluctant to work together. That'll undoubtedly change as the weeks go on. But why didn't we see Jeff pry them at the challenge (and extensively at Tribal Council) about what they thought?
-It's been a long time since they've done men vs. women, and while I'm sure the decision was made purely to help viewers keep track of the tribes, I think it was a good call.
-This was probably the weakest premiere ever in terms of establishing characters. Even the Russell-centric Samoa premiere developed the first boot Marisa pretty well. The only people we got a sense of here were the guy who stole the women's supplies (Michael?) and the uber-annoying Colton.
-I don't blame the men at all for not wanting to play the challenge. But while I know it was designed to drive "drama," I don't get why the producers gave them the choice because watching the challenge run in full (and having a Tribal Council vote) would have been far more entertaining. Instead, the last 20 minutes of this episode were completely anticlimactic.
-Yeah, I know that Jeff repeatedly told them to land on their backs...but sorry, this was a horribly designed challenge that should have been discarded before it was even constructed. A 25-foot fall? Come on. That's way too far, and especially with the adrenaline rush of competing, it's no surprise that hardly anyone landed "correctly."
-.What really left a bad taste in my mouth about this episode is that Jeff Probst has gone on record as saying that the reason they no longer do casts of 16 people is because if someone quits or is evacuated, it prevents them from ending an episode with the narrative of the vote. They have 18 this time. Someone was evacuated, yet there was no vote. ??? It wouldn't bother me so much if it weren't for the fact that this basically guarantees that, yet again, we'll have a final three. It's obvious that the producers will only resort to a final 2 if they have no other choice, despite the large majority of fans making their preference for final 2 very clear. To me, the final 3 is still the single worst change ever made to Survivor, and one that destroys the endgame of nearly every season it's been a part of. It's really frustrating that the people running the show are the only ones who don't seem to realize this.
-My pre-game favorite was Bill, the stand-up comedian...aka the only person who got no airtime last night.
I like Michael for his villain potential. Monica seems pretty cool and I dig Chelsea for obvious reasons.
I'm still optimistic about this season, and I'm eager to see how One World plays out. I hope they don't shuffle the tribes ahead of the merge, because it'll make for a hell of an episode if everything just suddenly implodes when it's everyone for themselves.
