Survivor premiered on May 31, 2000 on CBS, and quickly
became a TV phenomenon. It was the first
show of its kind. A competition between
16 Americans, stranded on a deserted island off the coast of Borneo. Together
they would learn to live in a self made society, build shelter, ration food,
all the while competing for a $1 Million dollar prize.
The rules were simple.
The groups were split into two “tribes,” each living in their own
camp. Each week the two tribes would
compete against each other in challenges for either rewards or immunity. Rewards would consist of things like fishing
gear, flint to make fire, food, etc. The
immunity challenges determined which tribe would be safe for the week. The losing tribe would need to visit tribal
council and one member of their tribe would be voted out. After
39 days, a winner would be crowned and awarded the million dollars.
The buzz for the show grew throughout the summer and ratings
were surging. 51 million people tuned
into the finale to see Richard Hatch crowned the Sole Survivor. It is still the highest rated episode for any
show of its kind.
One of the keys to the shows continued success is that, over
the years, the show has tweaked its format here and there, sometimes having 18
or 20 players, some of them returning players from past seasons. Redemption Island was added. This was a place that players who were voted
out could go and compete for a chance to return to the game after a period of
time.
Since its premiere, other reality competition shows have
come and gone, often imitating Survivor’s formula. Getting a number of contestants together and
competing for a cash prize, eliminating one player per week. But Survivor has endured.
Another of the keys to the show’s success has been its ability
to cast very popular and interesting players.
Rob Mariano, known as Boston Rob to Survivor Fans, has become one of the
most popular Survivor players of all time.
He met his wife Amber Brkich on the show, she was a competing
player. They teamed up and she won the
$1 million dollar prize on the shows “All Star” edition. Mariano returned in a later edition to win as
well.
A big reason for the show's popularity is its host, Jeff
Probst. Probst is more than just a host,
he is part of Survivor. He has won multiple
Emmy’s for his hosting duties. He is
incredibly popular with the fan base. So
much so, that fans could never imagine the show being hosted by someone else.
It's 27th edition, Blood vs. Water, has just completed and in this edition the
show has once again reinvented itself adding yet another twist to its
formula. This time, pitting a tribe of
returning players against a tribe consisting of their loved ones. The show has proven that it can continue to
evolve and make changes to keep fans intrigued and interested.
Survivor shows no signs of slowing down. It has been renewed for 2 more seasons. It is a staple of CBS programming and still
draws consistent ratings. Still drawing
10 million viewers per week to a very strong and loyal fan base. My guess is that the show will continue as
long as creator Mark Burnett wants it to.
It is the undisputed King of Reality Competition TV.
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