When Survivor debuted on television in the year 2000, there was no way for viewers to know that the show would go on to be one of the most impactful series of all time. After all, even though Survivor was far from the first “reality” show, its first season was such a huge success that virtually every television network rushed a slew of similar series into production. On top of that, there have been several Survivor couples that remain together to this day.
Even though Survivor was a sensation when it debuted and it has remained popular ever since, it could be argued that the show was set to reach an all-time high in 2020. After all, the 40th season of Survivor brought together twenty of the show’s past winners. While there is no doubt that fans don’t respect some Survivor winners as much as others, it was still amazing to see so many people who prevailed in past seasons compete against each other. Sadly. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced Survivor to go into hiatus which left some people wondering how the show would rebound for its 41st season. As it turns out, Survivor fans seem to be really enjoying the show’s 41st season in general even though they hate aspects of it.
Why Survivor Fans Are Loving Season 41
At the end of the day, Survivor is a simply amazing show. After all, the fact that hundreds of people have traveled all over the world to film the show is extremely impressive, even though the show has remained in Fiji for years now. On top of that, the show’s production team have put together a slew of amazing challenges over the years even though it could be argued that too many of them end in repetitive puzzles.
Even though so much effort is put into every element of Survivor, there is one aspect of the show’s production that seems to be of the utmost importance, casting. After all, when fans think about the best and worst moments from Survivor history, they all come down to memorable things that players have done over the years. With that in mind, it makes a lot of sense that a lot of viewers are really enjoying Survivor’s 41st season because it has a great cast.
Given the fact that there are only so many minutes in each episode of Survivor, it is inevitable that each season features some players that viewers don’t have much of a connection to. Of course, that is the case with several of Survivor Season 41’s cast members who were voted out early. On the other hand, many of Season 41 cast members have been a delight to watch.
Even though Brad wasn’t good at Survivor strategy by any means, he was entertaining and it was amazing to hear him butcher the code words to activate his hidden immunity idol. It also was so much fun to see the level of passion that Evvie, JD, and Naseer had for the game throughout their time on the show. Deshawn, Erika, Ricard, and Liana all have obvious gifts for Survivor strategy that kept viewers’ minds racing which is a key part of any Survivor season. Sydney was easy to hate, Tiffany was crafty and strong-willed, Xander was surprisingly resourceful, Heather had a surprisingly explosive moment. On top of their love for the show, Evvie made lots of fascinating moves and was a great model.
On top of all those reasons to love Season 41’s cast, the season’s breakout star had to be Shan, a pastor who was amazing at manipulating others to her will. If Shan doesn’t return to Survivor in the future, that will be a travesty unless she turns down the invite or if she can’t compete for medical reasons.
The Problem With Season 41
Even though it is impressive that the people behind the 41st season of Survivor were able to bring together a stellar cast, that doesn’t mean they have done everything right. In fact, a huge portion of Survivor fans have a major problem with Survivor Season 41 since they believe the twists are taking away from the show in a big way.
On the one hand, Season 41’s twists have led to some amazing moments. For example, lots of fans had huge reactions when it was revealed that Naseer found one of the hidden immunity idols during a rare flashback sequence. On the other hand, Survivor fans love the strategy and interpersonal relationships, not having to take notes about all of the random advantages that are in play.
When tribal councils have the potential to include a “shot in the dark” one in six chance at immunity, a vote steal, an advantage steal, three hidden immunity idols, and an extra vote, it is just too much. Once you throw into the mix that lots of players have lost their votes at one time or another and the Do or Die challenge, the game is being overwhelmed by luck. Finally, the fact that one person with a hammer and hourglass can reverse the results of a challenge diminishes their importance overall. It also has to be said that it is baffling that players don’t roll the “shot in the dark” die and the hourglass was hit with a hammer instead of being flipped. Do producers have no idea how those things are supposed to work?