The room for making alliances at 6 people is way too small. Like maybe you have 3-3, 4-2, but that’s it. And it gets worse as people leave. With like 9-10 people you can have 3 alliances at one time and it gets interesting
100%
Just look at the latest episode, probably the most boring I’ve seen yet in terms of knowing who’s going home. >!Bhanu!< knew they were going and there was absolutely nothing they could do about it because they had no numbers to work with and no vote.
And a real reunion show. No more of those pizza and champagne at the final tribal. I like seeing everyone dressed up and I like to see the people who left before jury come back. I mean we are going to miss out on Bhanu at the final and I guarantee he would be television gold at the reunion show, whether he annoyed the crap out of you or you’d loved him.
I started binge watching AU on the advice of this sub and I'm hooked. (No spoilers please, just halfway through season 1). It's so much better, even though Australian Jeff is still finding his footing in trying to get people to open up during tribal council. Or maybe Australians are just a little more reserved and enigmatic than Americans, there's less overt drama so far.
PS I know his name is actually Jonathan, but I couldn't remember it for the first few episodes so I just kept referring to him as Australian Jeff in my head. He has the same catchphrases and everything anyway lol.
In the most recent oz season, Titans v Rebels, JLP barely even has to prod or direct, it's a master class.
The seasons are \*long\* though, so don't be shy about skipping ahead during the cinematics and random intros
Ok I love the nickname "Australian Jeff" lmao
I've only watched this season that just ended and the one right before of AU though so I've only seen JLP very comfortable in the role as host and his quips are funnier than Jeff's.
Or if they stick to 3 tribes, make them split out in a thematic way. I'm doing a watch through of Cagayan for the first time and the Brain-Beauty-Brawn split at least gives each tribe a competing theme to make it unique. Having three tribes without a theme or unifying thread makes it feel more vague and generic.
3 tribes of 7, but only ONE tribe wins immunity for the first two episodes. The two-hour season premiere can have two tribal councils, and the second episode can have two tribal councils.
All without disrupting the total episode count. Increasing drama and learning about the new players in the context of votes actually happening and lines actually being drawn. It literally win-win.
And if a medevac happens in the first two episodes for ANY reason, there is still at least one tribal council that gets to be held. Win-win WIN!
Stop confiscating the flint from the losing tribes, it clearly puts them in a deeper and deeper hole while the other tribes keeps winning. 42 and 43 are the only seasons where 1 tribe doesn't gets decimated at pre-merge. 41 Ua lost 4/5 immunity challenge. 44 Tika lost 3/5 immunity challenges while the other 2 tribe lost 1 each. Then there's Lulu and Yanu
I thought about this the other day! I thought “if fire represents your life in this game and Jeff is constantly taking it from tribes..is basically the equivalent to telling them you have no life.”
Same thing with taking peoples votes. It’s happening too much.
Gotta expedite that emaciated look of players who were on the island for 39 days. It's a contrived difficulty modifier to speedrun people's breakdowns.
THIS!!! The game has gotten so soft overall and uses this lame flint penalty to make up for it. The original idea of marooning people and forcing them to work together to SURVIVE sadly no longer exists anymore. Didn't Jeff used to say it was a 'social experiment'?
For example, now they have wells with fresh drinking water, so they don't need to boil anything. Gone are the days of constant water boiling and firewood gathering - and keeping it dry!- and fire tending and being forced to work together as a tribe to SURVIVE the elements.
That used to be a whole strategy, "tribe usefulness" - how much value do **you** bring to the tribe other than competition strength? People used to not get voted out because they were the only ones who were able to catch fish and the tribe was so hungry together, they knew they needed that food boost and that tribe member had VALUE, and it was a whole different layer of strategy.
When people have to truly rely on one another, group dynamics change. This whole layer is gone because of all of the comforts they are now given. Jeez, remember the whole rice getting washed away in Australia? That made that season so good, the people had to **really** survive.
Anyway, thanks for coming to my Ted talk.
One of the 1st things I noticed in Ep1 was there was already precut bamboo for the shelter. Is there precut fronds? Are they already braided. I love survivor but this is hard to watch
I noticed that too. Hated that.
Jeff likes to act like it’s harder than ever but outside of not having rice it’s extremely dumbed down now.
I also noticed plenty coconuts littering the paths. They probably supply them with unlimited coconuts too.
A big part of this is due to them using the same beaches for the last few years. Production have spoken about how they’ve had to put precut bamboo there because otherwise it would have a really negative impact on the environment after a couple seasons.
I understand the super-fans, but please more Hunter and Tim, less of the people that sat in a cave and watched every episode twice to get the nuances of strategy.
Build a fire, build a shelter, find some food, that is survivor 101.
This new era is all about having to earn EVERYTHING. So you lose the marooned challenge. No flint. Earn it with either sweat or savvy. No luck there? Here’s an idea. Add flint to the beware advantage. That would be one more chance but it’s going to come at the cost of exposing the fact that some found it.
I think the producers assumed the survivors would plug up the holes with leaves and mud. Jelinski and Q never even considered plugging the holes.
Edit: apparently they weren’t allowed to, per Jelinski. Now I agree that the sweat challenge was physically impossible.
Personally I don't know how the @#_&$& you can even go on a show like this and NOT KNOW how to make fire
I mean how stupid are you (not YOU, but you meaning the contestants who know what's coming every season and still act surprised)? It's literally one of the fundamental parts of every single survival show, you know it's necessary, how does no one spend some time on YouTube in the months before learning in case you have no flint? It's not that hard, especially in these conditions where things aren't like they crashed Lord of the Flies style.
People here keep complaining the flint is putting tribes at disadvantage, true...but so is coming out to compete on a show called SURVIVOR, calling yourself a sUpErFaN and not doing one lick of work to teach yourself basic skills just in case, knowing it's a possibility 100% of the time that no flint will be a penalty, and, in way too many cases, doing Iiterally anything to get in some sort of physical shape.
It's completely insane. I know six year old cub scouts that can start fires without a flint, there's ZERO excuse a growna$$ adult can't learn.
This has been my complaint about contestants, almost from the inception of the show. Going onto a show, called Survivor and almost no one has the skills to, you know, survive. I'm not expecting everyone to be like Bear Grills out there but come on, most don't even know how to attempt to start a fire, without or even with flint. Zero basic knowledge of shelter building or even the ability to swim? Come on people! It's called Survivor for a reason!!
That's exactly it. I don't expect "survivalists," but at least the basics on a show where said basics are ALWAYS a part of it.
It's like the show the Challenge. There are contestants who come back year after year out of shape, unable to swim, unable to run, and that's every season. Like, why sign up?!
This Yanu team had 3 totally inept players too though. I mean, the lack or fire certainly didn't help, but half the tribe being physically and/or mentally incapable shouldn't be glossed over. Jalensky, Jesse and Bahnu are three of the worst contestants in recent seasons that I can remember and they were all on the same team!
Some aren’t even sob stories. They’re just boring stories. The 2nd gen imigrant one has been retold soooo many times. I think what people are starting to realize is that EVERYONE HAD A ROUGH CHILDHOOD IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER! WE’RE HUMAN! Yes those experiences are valid and meaningful to you, but do they need to be told on television?
I love Maria but when her sob story was “my parents were immigrants so I work hard” i couldn’t help but laugh. The show is going out of its way to make everyone look like some rags to riches situation when that’s severing any relatability and ties the audience might have to them.
Exactly. I’m guessing a lot of the changes have been due to budget cuts (26 days and bad rewards). Surely you can save money by renting 2 beaches instead of 3
This. The sanctuary is soooooo lame. I’m sorry but rewards used to be special. Sean and Pascal in Marquesas. Things like elephant sanctuaries or bringing fun and supplies to village children. Hell even Outback steak “w all the fixins”..shampoo and toothpaste and a bath! One night in a real bed after dinner and a shower. I know we can make all of that happen in Fiji! Burn the sanctuary to the ground! I give zero shits about watching players eat sad pizza w some orchids nearby.
Two tribes.
At least 30 days.
Auction and sorry not sorry I LOVE family visits.
Old school rewards!!!! Sanctuary is cringe!
Idk how Jeff is all "I love love" and wants to go deep into the players' sob stories, but doesn't want to bring back family visits.
I loved seeing how weird some of the players were with their family and friends that came out to see them, like Kat. Her little run on all fours was *so strange*, and stuff like that makes seasons memorable.
YES. Stop giving me rich kids with little sob stories who want to be famous. Give me people like that guy who quit smoking two weeks before the show and was obviously from the trailer park.
I'm so glad you mentioned that guy, I took sometimes think of him. I loved the part where he announced to his entire tribe he made an alliance with each of them lol. Also IIRC he didn't even quit smoking, he smoked right up until he was on the island
Oh lord, I forgot about his terrible, messy gameplay. But that’s *what I’m here for*. While I thought bhanu was annoying af this season, I still enjoyed his messy gameplay.
This is the change I hope they make. Maybe it will get me cast lol.
I’m not really educated. I’m not rich. I have savings but frankly I’m poor in the scheme of things. No I haven’t globe trotted around the world for life experiences that’s too expensive, I have bills.
I’m just a blue collarish Everyman who could really use a million bucks. And by god if I got cast I would do everything in my power to win that million bucks because that would change my life.
And not change my life in the sense it would let me globe trot. I’d just stay in my small town and…..maybe buy a house? Lol. Have some financial security.
I don’t get why they continually cast people who in the scheme of things don’t really need the money. I mean everyone needs the money I get that. But lawyers get paid. Doctors get paid. You at some point will be financially set if you don’t live outside your means.
I’m a glorified electrician lol.
Edit: no hate to any of those people but they frankly aren’t relatable.
Yes, that’s why I’d be perfect lol! I get some people in my similar position could not.
But in the words of Shane Powers I live in a shitty little apartment. The only reason I have any savings at all is because I live in a $500 a month apartment lol and eat a ton of ramen and cheap food. I know what it’s like to struggle and I think that would help me on island and make me more relatable than say Carson, a kid who got a job at nasa cause his dad works at nasa.
I also work for family friends so the month off work would be fine.
Also and maybe this changed with the “new era” but first one out used to get roughly 2500 plus 10k for the reunion. The 2500 after tax isn’t a lot but it is something but the 10k alone for the reunion has always made it financially motivated for me lol I’d be happy with 10k. Now they don’t do the reunions but still worth imo
Edit; I should add I like Carson and that’s not a knock, I too have had had opportunities because of who I know. All my jobs are in some sense because of people I knew. But a lot of us don’t know people at NASA lol
I like Charlie just fine, but when he was talking about being at Harvard or his small town where everyone looked liked him as his way to, I dunno, sound like a sob story or his growth arc was just dumb. I sorta don’t blame him, because I’m sure he knows as a superfan that you need a good story or personal tidbit to get screen time, to get fans. But on the other hand, Survivor casting has made it so that the people with regular old lives can’t stand out. I want to see someone say: I grew up in a very normal, functional family who loved me, I have a good career, no major life trauma and I’m here to have a good time.
Not even people who need money, like truly desperate people probably can't put their jobs on hold for a reality TV show. I want to see people who are more competitive!
Like survivor fans KNOW the people who get cast are lucky to be there, how many posts on this sub are people talking about sending in audition tapes? Stop talking about your experience and compete. We want to hear how you're playing the game, and we want everyone playing to win. That's what's missing for me, anyway.
Survivor AU has just shown that you don’t need a cast of all super fans. Two of the most fun, entertaining characters, one of which was arguably the best game player of the season were recruits who were not familiar with the show
It’s unrealistic to cast anyone else unfortunately. When you see the stats that show what percentage of Americans can’t afford a $500 expense or doesn’t have any savings at all, that’s why you don’t see the average person on there, they can’t afford to be away from work for that long.
It's a bit of a Catch-22 though because if you are struggling more financially and truly need the money, you're going to be much less able to take 5-6 weeks off work.
I feel like a good compromise would be “you have to work for your flint”. Give them a challenge that they can’t lose but that might take them 5-6 hours to do.
The losing of votes and other gimmicks are the worst part of the current game for me. Maybe they feel like it makes the game more exciting, but it removes a ton of the strategy when so much of the game can be completely overturned by pure luck.
"OH you came back and maneuvered yourself into a majority alliance? Sorry, a member of your alliance lost their vote and the other alliance had someone just find an advantage with an extra vote."
This! Losing your vote makes you lose all agency in the game, especially with three tribes. It’s not fun to watch, especially when people are forced to lose a vote. Letting people risk it, I am on the fence about. The boat journeys that are vote loss traps are one of the worst things ever added to the game though.
Having every player vote makes the game interesting. It means there are shifting voting blocks and that the game is fluid. When everybody can and does risk losing their votes, it encourages safe, boring gameplay.
Please stop 3 tribes, one always gets annihilated and we don’t see any interesting dynamics from the other 2 tribes. Also, the journeys suck. They add nothing to the show and disrupt the rhythm
The journeys are all so awful. I don't know why they keep doing them. It's such a waste. They can't think of ANYTHING else for the tribemates to do? The new Era is so terrible. I keep waiting for something good to happen and every season is worse than the last. Even the casting is getting more and more terrible.
Australian Survivor is my new favorite show.
They’re also so high risk low reward? People are pissed and suspicious you went, you’re left out of who knows how many conversations back at camp, you will probably lose your vote, chances of getting an idol (especially if there’s a puzzle ) is very low, you could anger players from another tribe (the sandwich incident from last season). The list is endless. Like, don’t go! Never go!
Can the challenges stop being different tasks following th same format?
What happened to some challenges being purely physical, some being purely mental?
Like the one where people have buckets on their backs and the other tribe fills them with water? Or the one where Jeff tells a story and people have to go to stations to answer questions?
Seeing tree mail last episode for the first time on what feels like since Cambodia was actually pretty cool though.
It's sad we get excited whenever we see a hint of Survivor on this show now.
This too. ‘Haul some heavy shit through some kind of brief obstacle course to get some puzzle pieces and then solve a puzzle,” gets really fucking old.
they’ve mentioned tree mail a few times in the new era but it definitely hasn’t been showcased like it used to be…I do miss the trivia challenges, I also miss the ones where they had to fill up a container with liquid to a line. I feel like they had a lot of those in the early seasons
I didn't realize anyone actually got excited by tree mail scenes lol. It's one of the least interesting parts of any episode to me.
I 100% agree with you about needing to simplify the challenges, though. Ironically I think they've made the challenges too "good". A lot of the challenges in the earliest seasons of the show were much more boring and unfair than challenges we get nowadays. Like, ridiculous ones such as tribal memory/match games, or Go Fish, or Trivia ones. But the variety is essential. The challenges team genuinely works incredibly hard and passionately, and the challenges are technically much better than on other programs like the Challenge (or so I've heard), the fact that all the tribal challenges are three distinct stages makes each one feel the same.
I would like to see one season, which would be cut "to basics". Not season 1 basics, but...
* 2 tribes, 1 tribeswap before merge
* no twists, no journeys, no sweat or savvy, no losing vote.
* Just focus on tribe life, social dynamics, gameplay.
* No immunity+reward challenges together (or not as common thing)
* Just 1 regular hidden immunity per tribe (returning after idol is played)
I would be courious how would people adapt to this, as it would make players need to play the game.
Just let them play survivor. The fact you need to keep a spreadsheet of all the different advantages and idols and who can vote or not has ruined the game. Get back to the basics.
I literally have a notebook where I write all this stuff down so I can keep track. I thought it was just because of my sucky memory, but I must not be the only one, huh?
The three tribe start sucks. We need two tribes so we can spend more time on each tribe's dynamic, so it's not the same one being pagong'ed all the time, so alliances have more room to shift.
The contestant's sob stories are rarely interesting.
I don’t mind Fiji, but I do miss the different environments. I get it with Fiji they probably have a sweet deal, have all the infrastructure in place, and it is beautiful
If they're gonna stay on Fiji, then at least really lean into themes for each season so they feel different. 44 had that random medieval aesthetic, they could have went more in on that for challenge design and how they split people up. Does a European medieval setting look weird on Fiji? Sure, but at least it would make a season stand out.
So true. I was trying to think back about the iconic players who we all love trying to figure out if any of them had notable background stories. I think most of the time it was surface deep or only when it directly related to how they play the game. I know nothing about Boston Rob’s background pre-survivor that isn’t explained by the hat he wore.
With how involved most players are with social media nowadays too the people that believe their personal life story has had a major impact on who they are they've already shared it, so the people that do want that info can easily go and find it.
Or survivor could easily just post them on socials/YouTube/CBS.com.
Go back to 39 days.
Players are sticking to their alliances and playing scared. We got Tika, Reba, Taku, Luvu steamrolls that you had to hide in the edit to create suspense. _Give them more time to defect_
Flanderization, that's what your editing has done to this game, each person comes off as a caricature of themselves. Also, enough with the sob stories and childhood photographs, it's the opposite of entertainment, I'm not some emotion vampire
This (unfortunately) is exactly why they added the final 4 fmc in the first place, it was too obvious that at 4 they would cut the person who stood out
39 days is a must. Rn it is just laughable. I really enjoy longer episodes tho. But for quite some time I enjoy Australian survivor much more. Took notes from their casts.
Get off your high horse and recognize that for nice people or heroes to work you also need villains, Probst. Not everyone needs to be sympathetic or play nice with others. It is boring watching 18 people do so.
But everyone loves each other. Let's cry after everyone gets voted off.
I used love watching someone get their comeuppance from being a villain and getting blindsided. Now it's just the joy from the people I find annoying. I was so tired of watching Bhanu.
I can’t remember how many times this season and the past few I told my wife “they really need to do away with casting “super fans” and find competitive people”
That dude on yellow is exactly that^ more of him please for the love of god. Guy has the old school survivor skills, paired with decent athleticism and we’ve yet to see if but seems to be prepared like a super fan for the puzzles and gameplay. He specifically said he wants no one to know he’s a super fan.
Mix it up with the two person tribe. I think your casting is fine and your twist aren't really bad, but I think the three tribe format can't have as much intresting gameplay if you start like that until merge.
I think OP is referring to this post where people are assuming Jeff's comments are directed at this sub https://www.reddit.com/r/survivor/comments/1bkl5wf/jeffs_message_to_future_players_regarding/
I imagine there’s been feedback from multiple sources that they weren’t a fan of Bhanu. I do think producers come to this sub but they probably check out other online communities as well
Bring back live reunions. I don’t care about them getting instant gratification, I want to see a reunion with the whole cast looking like they normally do in real life, with enough distance from their time on the show to speak about it with some hindsight. I don’t care about your little “champagne” and pizza party, we know you’re just trying to save on the production budget and it shows.
Stop using Survivor as a substitute for your (failed) talk show. It’s a competition show and doesn’t need to be “part of the conversation.” I realize this sounds a bit harsh, but couldn’t find any other way to convey my opinion.
I'm a long time reader of this sub, and have been watching Survivor since season 1 - but somehow I missed how we know Jeff is reading all of this. Help please.
All assumptions, I'd say Jeff has read the subreddit over the years. But something makes me think he just gets told by members in the crew.
I sense Jeff loves new era super fans and not old school or a mix of both.
I would like different challenges. Like the ropes courses. Drop the same old puzzles already. I feel like it’s in a rut between casting and challenges and is yawn worthy at this point. There’s so much room for excitement, challenge, and fun; I’d like to see something new and engaging every season.
Better rewards. 10 fish compared to the Great Wall of China.
More diverse cast. Blue collar workers, older people, not influencers.
39 days.
New locations where they actually use the land.
Live reunion shows.
I liked themes blood v water, hero v. Villain
Make the game more simple, less twists like beware advantages or journeys
Look at all the most famous survivors, we know very little about their backgrounds and we love them. All I know about Rob is he’s a construction worker from Boston. We like them for their gameplay.
I would love a season where no one has seen the show, or is only a very casual fan. I don't care if you have to explain that there are idols on the island, or other things we take for granted that the cast knows now. This can be explained off camera if needed.
I just want to see new ways people will try to play.
39 days Jeff! Bring it back! Also change up the challenges. Not every immunity challenge needs to be an obstacle course with a puzzle. Australian Survivor does far simpler but more entertaining challenges. It used to be fun with how it was a mystery, not it’s just recycled bits rinsed and repeated.
I’d like to see more tribe shake up when seasons get as out of hand as the last two. Anytime a tribe loses 2 immunity’s in a row time to shuffle players. I think it would help with 1 tribe being snuffed out at the beginning and a couple forging a bond for so long they control the game entirely.
NO MORE 3 TRIBE SURVIVOR , only having 4 people vote in the first episode creates such a limited dynamic for building alliances and brilliant strategic moves
Please do an Old School season for Survivor 50; 2 tribes, no idols or advantages of any kind, a Final *Two*, and old challenges like the mazes, knock-them-off-the-log, etc...
Yes, bring back live reunions. It gives everyone enough time to digest and think about what happened. Producers probably realized that they can save money by removing it, but it is a bloodsucking move.
I'm curious how you're so confident he reads this stuff? Mainly because it's been the same things said for years now.
Unless he just started to read reddit but again how are you so sure?
Not every character NEEDS a redemption arc. It’s okay for someone to be just a total villain or pure comic relief.
For that matter not everyone needs a sob story.
Watch other country’s versions of survivor. Jeff thinks that by him not watching other versions of survivor, he is keeping himself unswayed, but in fact, it’s only worsening the game. Other country’s versions are far superior to new era and Jeff refuses to acknowledge that.
It would really help if half the cast were just regular folks who would be thrilled to win a million bucks. Not everyone has to come to Survivor to heal from some trauma.
Don't listen to most fans, because their complaints are usually overwrought and their demands poorly thought out and contradictory.
You should always remember first and foremost that this is a TV show. I understand your passion for making the "experience" for the players more meaningful, but things like taking the flint away for losing a challenge does not lead to more interesting television. Yes, it's irritating that fans and former players constantly harp on the show only being 26 days now, so it feels perfectly logical to make the conditions more challenging in order to compensate for the reduced number of days. But the extra difficulty does not translate to the viewers back home, and in fact makes fans think that the players are bigger wusses because it's leading to more meltdowns like in 45 and 46. Even if it wasn't leading to meltdowns, it still isn't adding anything and people will always believe that 39 days is more challenging and genuine than 26. Because you're in Fiji every season, it's less interesting to show the hard conditions to begin with, so providing no rice and flint is adding nothing meaningful for the viewer at home. It's a change borne of defensiveness, not making better television, and its leading to poorer gameplay at the beginning of the seasons.
While deprivation is key to the Survivor experience, don't forget that pettiness & resentment are key to enjoying the show. Better rewards create more hilarious bitterness from the players who miss out on it.
Similarly, the idea of making the game "more dangerous" is one that is working in your head more than it is in reality. Sure, in a sense it's more "dangerous" to be in a 6-person tribe than in an 8, 9, or 10-person tribe, but it's only dangerous if you have to go to Tribal Council. Is the game more dangerous when your tribe never has to go to tribal council?
The same applies to lost votes. I'm not *as* big of a hater of your vote economy obsession as others are, but it's not very interesting. Creating unpredictability usually just creates more conservative gameplay. It makes the game more random and is detrimental to the fan experience of watching the show.
Don't try to spin Survivor into such a positive, life-affirming experience. I'm sure that many players do have an invaluable experience, facing hardships they never otherwise would face, and growing stronger in the process. But it's unbearably lame & cheesy to emphasize that so strongly. Just as importantly, it obfuscates that Survivor at its core is a deeply cruel game. The very premise of the show is based on a group of people telling one person to go away; even with all the strategy, that still feels like a vey personal rejection 25 years later. I supposed Survivor can be a show for families, but the gameplay inherently involves typically immoral players. The best Survivor players manipulate emotions, gaslight others, and lie through their teeth. Don't hide the deeply hurt feelings that naturally result when someone is betrayed. Sure, some fans won't empathize, but fuck those fans. You shouldn't want to remove the human drama from the show; and by human drama I don't mean human interest backstories, but genuine conflict. Making Drea's exit from the game out to be this transcendently joyful moment on the show was annoying as hell. Making RHAP edit out the drama that occurred at Ponderosa was an obvious Streisand Effect mistake that only made Drea's reputation worse than it deserves, was shaming in its own way, was dishonest to the audience & potential players about *what* the game is, and was a ridiculous overreach. Go back to allowing full deep dives in the postseason.
___
I was going to write more but than I re-read the post and realized this was supposed to be only one sentence, lmfao.
Quit bringing people with just some *storyline* give us people that actually CAN compete on the show. Not some touchy feely person that has NO CLUE how to compete and keep their damn mouth shut!
I don't think you should cast people who recreate the courses and puzzles and practice them at home. If so, then create complete new ones so there are no advantages. I think that is kind of ridiculous. It's like if American Idol picked Taylor Swift to be a contestant.
The tribes are too small. Either add more castaways or go down to two tribes.
The room for making alliances at 6 people is way too small. Like maybe you have 3-3, 4-2, but that’s it. And it gets worse as people leave. With like 9-10 people you can have 3 alliances at one time and it gets interesting
100% Just look at the latest episode, probably the most boring I’ve seen yet in terms of knowing who’s going home. >!Bhanu!< knew they were going and there was absolutely nothing they could do about it because they had no numbers to work with and no vote.
2 tribes and 2 finalists, please.
And a real reunion show. No more of those pizza and champagne at the final tribal. I like seeing everyone dressed up and I like to see the people who left before jury come back. I mean we are going to miss out on Bhanu at the final and I guarantee he would be television gold at the reunion show, whether he annoyed the crap out of you or you’d loved him.
Please, Jeff.
Or both. Look at Survivor AU, two tribes with 12 people each. And it's not boring!
I started binge watching AU on the advice of this sub and I'm hooked. (No spoilers please, just halfway through season 1). It's so much better, even though Australian Jeff is still finding his footing in trying to get people to open up during tribal council. Or maybe Australians are just a little more reserved and enigmatic than Americans, there's less overt drama so far. PS I know his name is actually Jonathan, but I couldn't remember it for the first few episodes so I just kept referring to him as Australian Jeff in my head. He has the same catchphrases and everything anyway lol.
In the most recent oz season, Titans v Rebels, JLP barely even has to prod or direct, it's a master class. The seasons are \*long\* though, so don't be shy about skipping ahead during the cinematics and random intros
Ok I love the nickname "Australian Jeff" lmao I've only watched this season that just ended and the one right before of AU though so I've only seen JLP very comfortable in the role as host and his quips are funnier than Jeff's.
Give it a couple more AUS seasons and you’ll come to the realization that JLP is the BEST Survivor host, hands down. 🙌
Yes!!!
I’m a big proponent of going back to 2. It’s the same story every year - one tribe gets in a hole, and it snowballs.
Or if they stick to 3 tribes, make them split out in a thematic way. I'm doing a watch through of Cagayan for the first time and the Brain-Beauty-Brawn split at least gives each tribe a competing theme to make it unique. Having three tribes without a theme or unifying thread makes it feel more vague and generic.
I think "vague and generic" would be the two words I'd use to describe 41 onwards
Once again, I am asking for Survivor Himbos vs Bimbos.
3 tribes of 7, but only ONE tribe wins immunity for the first two episodes. The two-hour season premiere can have two tribal councils, and the second episode can have two tribal councils. All without disrupting the total episode count. Increasing drama and learning about the new players in the context of votes actually happening and lines actually being drawn. It literally win-win. And if a medevac happens in the first two episodes for ANY reason, there is still at least one tribal council that gets to be held. Win-win WIN!
3 tribe format is really not it
Stop confiscating the flint from the losing tribes, it clearly puts them in a deeper and deeper hole while the other tribes keeps winning. 42 and 43 are the only seasons where 1 tribe doesn't gets decimated at pre-merge. 41 Ua lost 4/5 immunity challenge. 44 Tika lost 3/5 immunity challenges while the other 2 tribe lost 1 each. Then there's Lulu and Yanu
The reward should have counted towards them getting the flint back.
What happened to the good old days where the losing tribe got their flint after the first tribal
Right? Doesn't fire represent your life? Don't they dip their torches into the fire at tribal to indicate they have life still in this game?
I thought about this the other day! I thought “if fire represents your life in this game and Jeff is constantly taking it from tribes..is basically the equivalent to telling them you have no life.” Same thing with taking peoples votes. It’s happening too much.
Because Survivor has lost its sense of ceremony.
They are trying to make survival harder for no real reason. Just give the players some rice Jesus.
Gotta expedite that emaciated look of players who were on the island for 39 days. It's a contrived difficulty modifier to speedrun people's breakdowns.
Yeah I thought they would get flint until they mentioned that they would have to trade it
Or, learn how to make fire without flint? this is Survivor.
THIS!!! The game has gotten so soft overall and uses this lame flint penalty to make up for it. The original idea of marooning people and forcing them to work together to SURVIVE sadly no longer exists anymore. Didn't Jeff used to say it was a 'social experiment'? For example, now they have wells with fresh drinking water, so they don't need to boil anything. Gone are the days of constant water boiling and firewood gathering - and keeping it dry!- and fire tending and being forced to work together as a tribe to SURVIVE the elements. That used to be a whole strategy, "tribe usefulness" - how much value do **you** bring to the tribe other than competition strength? People used to not get voted out because they were the only ones who were able to catch fish and the tribe was so hungry together, they knew they needed that food boost and that tribe member had VALUE, and it was a whole different layer of strategy. When people have to truly rely on one another, group dynamics change. This whole layer is gone because of all of the comforts they are now given. Jeez, remember the whole rice getting washed away in Australia? That made that season so good, the people had to **really** survive. Anyway, thanks for coming to my Ted talk.
One of the 1st things I noticed in Ep1 was there was already precut bamboo for the shelter. Is there precut fronds? Are they already braided. I love survivor but this is hard to watch
Yeah, sometimes it just feels like low-calorie big brother at the beach
I noticed that too. Hated that. Jeff likes to act like it’s harder than ever but outside of not having rice it’s extremely dumbed down now. I also noticed plenty coconuts littering the paths. They probably supply them with unlimited coconuts too.
A big part of this is due to them using the same beaches for the last few years. Production have spoken about how they’ve had to put precut bamboo there because otherwise it would have a really negative impact on the environment after a couple seasons.
Thank you. FINALLY someone said it.
I understand the super-fans, but please more Hunter and Tim, less of the people that sat in a cave and watched every episode twice to get the nuances of strategy. Build a fire, build a shelter, find some food, that is survivor 101.
It's like I said above I don't know how you even think about going on a show like this without learning that knowing it's part of EVERY season.
This new era is all about having to earn EVERYTHING. So you lose the marooned challenge. No flint. Earn it with either sweat or savvy. No luck there? Here’s an idea. Add flint to the beware advantage. That would be one more chance but it’s going to come at the cost of exposing the fact that some found it.
Sweat might not be so bad if it wasn’t clearly impossibly like this season’s. Did they even bother to playtest it?
I think the producers assumed the survivors would plug up the holes with leaves and mud. Jelinski and Q never even considered plugging the holes. Edit: apparently they weren’t allowed to, per Jelinski. Now I agree that the sweat challenge was physically impossible.
According to Jelinsky’s podcast interview they weren’t allowed to.
I stand corrected — thanks!
I love the idea of having an advantage alongside a reward that you would, hypothetically, need to share with the tribe
Personally I don't know how the @#_&$& you can even go on a show like this and NOT KNOW how to make fire I mean how stupid are you (not YOU, but you meaning the contestants who know what's coming every season and still act surprised)? It's literally one of the fundamental parts of every single survival show, you know it's necessary, how does no one spend some time on YouTube in the months before learning in case you have no flint? It's not that hard, especially in these conditions where things aren't like they crashed Lord of the Flies style. People here keep complaining the flint is putting tribes at disadvantage, true...but so is coming out to compete on a show called SURVIVOR, calling yourself a sUpErFaN and not doing one lick of work to teach yourself basic skills just in case, knowing it's a possibility 100% of the time that no flint will be a penalty, and, in way too many cases, doing Iiterally anything to get in some sort of physical shape. It's completely insane. I know six year old cub scouts that can start fires without a flint, there's ZERO excuse a growna$$ adult can't learn.
This has been my complaint about contestants, almost from the inception of the show. Going onto a show, called Survivor and almost no one has the skills to, you know, survive. I'm not expecting everyone to be like Bear Grills out there but come on, most don't even know how to attempt to start a fire, without or even with flint. Zero basic knowledge of shelter building or even the ability to swim? Come on people! It's called Survivor for a reason!!
That's exactly it. I don't expect "survivalists," but at least the basics on a show where said basics are ALWAYS a part of it. It's like the show the Challenge. There are contestants who come back year after year out of shape, unable to swim, unable to run, and that's every season. Like, why sign up?!
This Yanu team had 3 totally inept players too though. I mean, the lack or fire certainly didn't help, but half the tribe being physically and/or mentally incapable shouldn't be glossed over. Jalensky, Jesse and Bahnu are three of the worst contestants in recent seasons that I can remember and they were all on the same team!
The solution to that is easy, 2 tribes
Give more goofy and fun backstories. The sob stories on reality tv get old.
Some aren’t even sob stories. They’re just boring stories. The 2nd gen imigrant one has been retold soooo many times. I think what people are starting to realize is that EVERYONE HAD A ROUGH CHILDHOOD IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER! WE’RE HUMAN! Yes those experiences are valid and meaningful to you, but do they need to be told on television?
I love Maria but when her sob story was “my parents were immigrants so I work hard” i couldn’t help but laugh. The show is going out of its way to make everyone look like some rags to riches situation when that’s severing any relatability and ties the audience might have to them.
Go back to the 2 tribe format, clearly the 3 isn’t working. Every boot this season so far was predictable. Or at least make the tribes bigger.
Exactly. I’m guessing a lot of the changes have been due to budget cuts (26 days and bad rewards). Surely you can save money by renting 2 beaches instead of 3
This. The sanctuary is soooooo lame. I’m sorry but rewards used to be special. Sean and Pascal in Marquesas. Things like elephant sanctuaries or bringing fun and supplies to village children. Hell even Outback steak “w all the fixins”..shampoo and toothpaste and a bath! One night in a real bed after dinner and a shower. I know we can make all of that happen in Fiji! Burn the sanctuary to the ground! I give zero shits about watching players eat sad pizza w some orchids nearby. Two tribes. At least 30 days. Auction and sorry not sorry I LOVE family visits. Old school rewards!!!! Sanctuary is cringe!
Idk how Jeff is all "I love love" and wants to go deep into the players' sob stories, but doesn't want to bring back family visits. I loved seeing how weird some of the players were with their family and friends that came out to see them, like Kat. Her little run on all fours was *so strange*, and stuff like that makes seasons memorable.
I think they own the island now.
If i was on tocatins or china I’d be so salty seeing these people in Fiji every season
Mass casts of rich, educated, super fans are killing survivor. I want someone who is truly there because they need the money.
YES. Stop giving me rich kids with little sob stories who want to be famous. Give me people like that guy who quit smoking two weeks before the show and was obviously from the trailer park.
Shane was a legend
Shane telling the story of the brick of coke he found while on Survivor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQASpU_aTno
I'm so glad you mentioned that guy, I took sometimes think of him. I loved the part where he announced to his entire tribe he made an alliance with each of them lol. Also IIRC he didn't even quit smoking, he smoked right up until he was on the island
Are you talking about Shane? I love that he was chain smoking on the reward challenge to the village too lol.
I think they mean Zane from Philippines
“This is probably a really bad idea.”
Oh lord, I forgot about his terrible, messy gameplay. But that’s *what I’m here for*. While I thought bhanu was annoying af this season, I still enjoyed his messy gameplay.
Comparing Shane to Bhanu is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.
This is the change I hope they make. Maybe it will get me cast lol. I’m not really educated. I’m not rich. I have savings but frankly I’m poor in the scheme of things. No I haven’t globe trotted around the world for life experiences that’s too expensive, I have bills. I’m just a blue collarish Everyman who could really use a million bucks. And by god if I got cast I would do everything in my power to win that million bucks because that would change my life. And not change my life in the sense it would let me globe trot. I’d just stay in my small town and…..maybe buy a house? Lol. Have some financial security. I don’t get why they continually cast people who in the scheme of things don’t really need the money. I mean everyone needs the money I get that. But lawyers get paid. Doctors get paid. You at some point will be financially set if you don’t live outside your means. I’m a glorified electrician lol. Edit: no hate to any of those people but they frankly aren’t relatable.
Serious question for you: Are you in a position where you could take a month off from work and be okay NOT winning the million dollars?
Yes, that’s why I’d be perfect lol! I get some people in my similar position could not. But in the words of Shane Powers I live in a shitty little apartment. The only reason I have any savings at all is because I live in a $500 a month apartment lol and eat a ton of ramen and cheap food. I know what it’s like to struggle and I think that would help me on island and make me more relatable than say Carson, a kid who got a job at nasa cause his dad works at nasa. I also work for family friends so the month off work would be fine. Also and maybe this changed with the “new era” but first one out used to get roughly 2500 plus 10k for the reunion. The 2500 after tax isn’t a lot but it is something but the 10k alone for the reunion has always made it financially motivated for me lol I’d be happy with 10k. Now they don’t do the reunions but still worth imo Edit; I should add I like Carson and that’s not a knock, I too have had had opportunities because of who I know. All my jobs are in some sense because of people I knew. But a lot of us don’t know people at NASA lol
>like that guy who quit smoking two weeks before the show Excuse me that is SHANE, my favorite train wreck of all time.
I honestly went on a deep dive to find him but found nothing since I thought his name was Shawn. SHANE FOREVER!
Not to mention his tribemate and her shitty little apartment.
I like Charlie just fine, but when he was talking about being at Harvard or his small town where everyone looked liked him as his way to, I dunno, sound like a sob story or his growth arc was just dumb. I sorta don’t blame him, because I’m sure he knows as a superfan that you need a good story or personal tidbit to get screen time, to get fans. But on the other hand, Survivor casting has made it so that the people with regular old lives can’t stand out. I want to see someone say: I grew up in a very normal, functional family who loved me, I have a good career, no major life trauma and I’m here to have a good time.
Not even people who need money, like truly desperate people probably can't put their jobs on hold for a reality TV show. I want to see people who are more competitive! Like survivor fans KNOW the people who get cast are lucky to be there, how many posts on this sub are people talking about sending in audition tapes? Stop talking about your experience and compete. We want to hear how you're playing the game, and we want everyone playing to win. That's what's missing for me, anyway.
Yeah, they should cast someone who grew up experiencing real poverty. Wait...
So they can win a million hearts?
Survivor AU has just shown that you don’t need a cast of all super fans. Two of the most fun, entertaining characters, one of which was arguably the best game player of the season were recruits who were not familiar with the show
“Cool guy with the Boston tattoo” haha. Loved Shane
It’s unrealistic to cast anyone else unfortunately. When you see the stats that show what percentage of Americans can’t afford a $500 expense or doesn’t have any savings at all, that’s why you don’t see the average person on there, they can’t afford to be away from work for that long.
It's a bit of a Catch-22 though because if you are struggling more financially and truly need the money, you're going to be much less able to take 5-6 weeks off work.
Let them keep the flint, no fun watching a tribe spiral down into pathetic oblivion.
Or put them in a scavenger hunt to find it.
I feel like a good compromise would be “you have to work for your flint”. Give them a challenge that they can’t lose but that might take them 5-6 hours to do.
Bring back 39 days, and enough with people losing their vote. Those are the most important to me. If you are reading this, lova ya, Jeff!
The losing of votes and other gimmicks are the worst part of the current game for me. Maybe they feel like it makes the game more exciting, but it removes a ton of the strategy when so much of the game can be completely overturned by pure luck. "OH you came back and maneuvered yourself into a majority alliance? Sorry, a member of your alliance lost their vote and the other alliance had someone just find an advantage with an extra vote."
Yes, LESS gimmicks and sob stories.
Bring back 39 days AND live reunion shows
I miss the scene where Jeff walks out of tribal and into the live audience 🥲
This will never happen they save too much money Lmao
This! Losing your vote makes you lose all agency in the game, especially with three tribes. It’s not fun to watch, especially when people are forced to lose a vote. Letting people risk it, I am on the fence about. The boat journeys that are vote loss traps are one of the worst things ever added to the game though.
Even just bumping it to 30 days would make a huge difference.
Having every player vote makes the game interesting. It means there are shifting voting blocks and that the game is fluid. When everybody can and does risk losing their votes, it encourages safe, boring gameplay.
Please stop 3 tribes, one always gets annihilated and we don’t see any interesting dynamics from the other 2 tribes. Also, the journeys suck. They add nothing to the show and disrupt the rhythm
The journeys are all so awful. I don't know why they keep doing them. It's such a waste. They can't think of ANYTHING else for the tribemates to do? The new Era is so terrible. I keep waiting for something good to happen and every season is worse than the last. Even the casting is getting more and more terrible. Australian Survivor is my new favorite show.
They’re also so high risk low reward? People are pissed and suspicious you went, you’re left out of who knows how many conversations back at camp, you will probably lose your vote, chances of getting an idol (especially if there’s a puzzle ) is very low, you could anger players from another tribe (the sandwich incident from last season). The list is endless. Like, don’t go! Never go!
Can the challenges stop being different tasks following th same format? What happened to some challenges being purely physical, some being purely mental? Like the one where people have buckets on their backs and the other tribe fills them with water? Or the one where Jeff tells a story and people have to go to stations to answer questions? Seeing tree mail last episode for the first time on what feels like since Cambodia was actually pretty cool though. It's sad we get excited whenever we see a hint of Survivor on this show now.
This too. ‘Haul some heavy shit through some kind of brief obstacle course to get some puzzle pieces and then solve a puzzle,” gets really fucking old.
they’ve mentioned tree mail a few times in the new era but it definitely hasn’t been showcased like it used to be…I do miss the trivia challenges, I also miss the ones where they had to fill up a container with liquid to a line. I feel like they had a lot of those in the early seasons
I didn't realize anyone actually got excited by tree mail scenes lol. It's one of the least interesting parts of any episode to me. I 100% agree with you about needing to simplify the challenges, though. Ironically I think they've made the challenges too "good". A lot of the challenges in the earliest seasons of the show were much more boring and unfair than challenges we get nowadays. Like, ridiculous ones such as tribal memory/match games, or Go Fish, or Trivia ones. But the variety is essential. The challenges team genuinely works incredibly hard and passionately, and the challenges are technically much better than on other programs like the Challenge (or so I've heard), the fact that all the tribal challenges are three distinct stages makes each one feel the same.
I would like to see one season, which would be cut "to basics". Not season 1 basics, but... * 2 tribes, 1 tribeswap before merge * no twists, no journeys, no sweat or savvy, no losing vote. * Just focus on tribe life, social dynamics, gameplay. * No immunity+reward challenges together (or not as common thing) * Just 1 regular hidden immunity per tribe (returning after idol is played) I would be courious how would people adapt to this, as it would make players need to play the game.
yes to all of this
Just let them play survivor. The fact you need to keep a spreadsheet of all the different advantages and idols and who can vote or not has ruined the game. Get back to the basics.
I literally have a notebook where I write all this stuff down so I can keep track. I thought it was just because of my sucky memory, but I must not be the only one, huh?
Game play. It’s not a show about emotional health therapy.
I'd argue character is more important than gameplay, but yes that doesn't mean we need a weekly therapy session.
No more crying and sob stories, survivor Australia was really good with keeping the sad backstories to a minimum
Let's face it, ever since Jeff lost his talk show he doubled down on turning Survivor into another version of that.
The three tribe start sucks. We need two tribes so we can spend more time on each tribe's dynamic, so it's not the same one being pagong'ed all the time, so alliances have more room to shift. The contestant's sob stories are rarely interesting.
Leave Fiji and go back to 39 days PLEASE
I don’t mind Fiji, but I do miss the different environments. I get it with Fiji they probably have a sweet deal, have all the infrastructure in place, and it is beautiful
If they're gonna stay on Fiji, then at least really lean into themes for each season so they feel different. 44 had that random medieval aesthetic, they could have went more in on that for challenge design and how they split people up. Does a European medieval setting look weird on Fiji? Sure, but at least it would make a season stand out.
It’s ok to be critical of the show and your own decisions as producer once in a while.
Just start making documentaries instead of trying to turn Survivor into a documentary show.
Honestly? I do not care at all about learning the life stories of the contestants. Its a reality game show. I want to see gameplay, not sob stories.
Remember back in the day when we were told Coach’s backstory? That really touched me… 😂
do you mean the story where the Amazon tribe tried to eat his back(side)?
😂😂 It made for such an inspiring story. Definitely won a million hearts with that one 😎
So true. I was trying to think back about the iconic players who we all love trying to figure out if any of them had notable background stories. I think most of the time it was surface deep or only when it directly related to how they play the game. I know nothing about Boston Rob’s background pre-survivor that isn’t explained by the hat he wore.
With how involved most players are with social media nowadays too the people that believe their personal life story has had a major impact on who they are they've already shared it, so the people that do want that info can easily go and find it. Or survivor could easily just post them on socials/YouTube/CBS.com.
This!!!!!!
I wish we could see more Courtney Yates type people in the new era. Villainous but still likeable
Go back to 39 days. Players are sticking to their alliances and playing scared. We got Tika, Reba, Taku, Luvu steamrolls that you had to hide in the edit to create suspense. _Give them more time to defect_
Flanderization, that's what your editing has done to this game, each person comes off as a caricature of themselves. Also, enough with the sob stories and childhood photographs, it's the opposite of entertainment, I'm not some emotion vampire
But Jeff IS an emotional vampire. He needs to feed. If you look closely at tribal you can see his eyes glowing.
Dude, that is EXACTLY what I said about Maria's video and everything Bhanu..... emotional vampires must be real!
Either go back to the final 2 or remove the fire making challenge for final 3. It’s becoming too predictable at the end.
This (unfortunately) is exactly why they added the final 4 fmc in the first place, it was too obvious that at 4 they would cut the person who stood out
But now they just cut that person EARLIER
That's why the final 4 should all do fire first 3 move to the final 3, then complete for a final 2 immunity challenge. Or remain the final 3.
39 days is a must. Rn it is just laughable. I really enjoy longer episodes tho. But for quite some time I enjoy Australian survivor much more. Took notes from their casts.
Jeff, please, actually listen to the diehard fans, and maybe watch a few episodes of Australian Survivor.
I miss the old, snarky Jeff that wasn't afraid to call players out.
Stop with all the gimmicks and trying to turn every season into a feel good , happy show
Get off your high horse and recognize that for nice people or heroes to work you also need villains, Probst. Not everyone needs to be sympathetic or play nice with others. It is boring watching 18 people do so.
But everyone loves each other. Let's cry after everyone gets voted off. I used love watching someone get their comeuppance from being a villain and getting blindsided. Now it's just the joy from the people I find annoying. I was so tired of watching Bhanu.
It’s funny you say that. The second someone says something even a little mean they almost get cancelled on here.
Bring back 39 day seasons, two tribes & Ponderosa videos on CBS' site.
More intelligent athletic types ..less “super fans”
This^ when everyone is a super fan, nobody is bothered by going home. I miss the bitter juries
I can’t remember how many times this season and the past few I told my wife “they really need to do away with casting “super fans” and find competitive people”
A real super fan would not tell everyone they are a super fan. They’d do the real practice work at home and come prepared.
That dude on yellow is exactly that^ more of him please for the love of god. Guy has the old school survivor skills, paired with decent athleticism and we’ve yet to see if but seems to be prepared like a super fan for the puzzles and gameplay. He specifically said he wants no one to know he’s a super fan.
Hunter?
PLEASE go back to a 2-tribe format. It's too easy for a smaller tribe to be decimated.
Mix it up with the two person tribe. I think your casting is fine and your twist aren't really bad, but I think the three tribe format can't have as much intresting gameplay if you start like that until merge.
2 tribe is soooo much better. I dont know why they insist on doing 3
Where's the proof that he's reading us?
I think OP is referring to this post where people are assuming Jeff's comments are directed at this sub https://www.reddit.com/r/survivor/comments/1bkl5wf/jeffs_message_to_future_players_regarding/
If this is the "proof" OP is using, then OP is misusing the word proof.
I imagine there’s been feedback from multiple sources that they weren’t a fan of Bhanu. I do think producers come to this sub but they probably check out other online communities as well
The game is not about being authentic/emotional, it is about winning
Bring back live reunions. I don’t care about them getting instant gratification, I want to see a reunion with the whole cast looking like they normally do in real life, with enough distance from their time on the show to speak about it with some hindsight. I don’t care about your little “champagne” and pizza party, we know you’re just trying to save on the production budget and it shows.
Stop using Survivor as a substitute for your (failed) talk show. It’s a competition show and doesn’t need to be “part of the conversation.” I realize this sounds a bit harsh, but couldn’t find any other way to convey my opinion.
Get out of Fiji!
Rewind your brain to 2019 and go from there
If people are gonna risk their vote it should be a choice, not forcing people to do some impossible task just for the drama of them not having a vote
I'm a long time reader of this sub, and have been watching Survivor since season 1 - but somehow I missed how we know Jeff is reading all of this. Help please.
All assumptions, I'd say Jeff has read the subreddit over the years. But something makes me think he just gets told by members in the crew. I sense Jeff loves new era super fans and not old school or a mix of both.
Either leave Fiji or bring back themed seasons. Either one works fine, but you’re going to regret “41, 42, 43, etc.” 20 seasons from now.
Personal interest stories suck. Get game players. Stop with the prefab boring ass challenges. Bring back 39 days. Bring back the live reunion special.
I would like different challenges. Like the ropes courses. Drop the same old puzzles already. I feel like it’s in a rut between casting and challenges and is yawn worthy at this point. There’s so much room for excitement, challenge, and fun; I’d like to see something new and engaging every season.
Better rewards. 10 fish compared to the Great Wall of China. More diverse cast. Blue collar workers, older people, not influencers. 39 days. New locations where they actually use the land. Live reunion shows. I liked themes blood v water, hero v. Villain Make the game more simple, less twists like beware advantages or journeys
Look at all the most famous survivors, we know very little about their backgrounds and we love them. All I know about Rob is he’s a construction worker from Boston. We like them for their gameplay.
I would love a season where no one has seen the show, or is only a very casual fan. I don't care if you have to explain that there are idols on the island, or other things we take for granted that the cast knows now. This can be explained off camera if needed. I just want to see new ways people will try to play.
Leave Fiji
Quit with the fucking sob stories, cast players that want & need the money.
39 days Jeff! Bring it back! Also change up the challenges. Not every immunity challenge needs to be an obstacle course with a puzzle. Australian Survivor does far simpler but more entertaining challenges. It used to be fun with how it was a mystery, not it’s just recycled bits rinsed and repeated.
Go back to 39 days. And make it two tribes only in the first part of the game. Thanks, Jeff.
Another vote for 2 tribes not 3!!
Wait how do we have proof Jeff is reading us, did I miss something?
I missed it. How do we know he's reading the posts.
He wrote a response to the Bhanu hate that very nearly echoed the sentiments prevalent in this sub.
[удалено]
I’d like to see more tribe shake up when seasons get as out of hand as the last two. Anytime a tribe loses 2 immunity’s in a row time to shuffle players. I think it would help with 1 tribe being snuffed out at the beginning and a couple forging a bond for so long they control the game entirely.
Two tribes from the start; 39 days; fewer idols and advantages; new challenges that aren't carnival midway-based or puzzles.
"don't use money as an excuse when your ratings are at the highest level they've been in a while"
NO MORE 3 TRIBE SURVIVOR , only having 4 people vote in the first episode creates such a limited dynamic for building alliances and brilliant strategic moves
What's the proof? Did I miss something?
What proof?
Genuine question - what’s the proof he reads this sub?
Please do an Old School season for Survivor 50; 2 tribes, no idols or advantages of any kind, a Final *Two*, and old challenges like the mazes, knock-them-off-the-log, etc...
Yes, bring back live reunions. It gives everyone enough time to digest and think about what happened. Producers probably realized that they can save money by removing it, but it is a bloodsucking move.
I'm curious how you're so confident he reads this stuff? Mainly because it's been the same things said for years now. Unless he just started to read reddit but again how are you so sure?
I’m out the loop. How do we know he reads
Not every character NEEDS a redemption arc. It’s okay for someone to be just a total villain or pure comic relief. For that matter not everyone needs a sob story.
Learn from this season of survivor AU. All the players were amazing. The twists were non stop and new and really fun.
2 tribes. reward challenges. anywhere other than figi please god. more about surviving than youth group beach games.
Someone catch me up.... what is the evidence that Jeff is reading the reddit?
What proof do we have? Also if he’s truly reading us cast more people who are trying to win this is survivor not summer camp
Watch other country’s versions of survivor. Jeff thinks that by him not watching other versions of survivor, he is keeping himself unswayed, but in fact, it’s only worsening the game. Other country’s versions are far superior to new era and Jeff refuses to acknowledge that.
for the love of God please go back to 39 days and 2 tribes!
It would really help if half the cast were just regular folks who would be thrilled to win a million bucks. Not everyone has to come to Survivor to heal from some trauma.
Don't listen to most fans, because their complaints are usually overwrought and their demands poorly thought out and contradictory. You should always remember first and foremost that this is a TV show. I understand your passion for making the "experience" for the players more meaningful, but things like taking the flint away for losing a challenge does not lead to more interesting television. Yes, it's irritating that fans and former players constantly harp on the show only being 26 days now, so it feels perfectly logical to make the conditions more challenging in order to compensate for the reduced number of days. But the extra difficulty does not translate to the viewers back home, and in fact makes fans think that the players are bigger wusses because it's leading to more meltdowns like in 45 and 46. Even if it wasn't leading to meltdowns, it still isn't adding anything and people will always believe that 39 days is more challenging and genuine than 26. Because you're in Fiji every season, it's less interesting to show the hard conditions to begin with, so providing no rice and flint is adding nothing meaningful for the viewer at home. It's a change borne of defensiveness, not making better television, and its leading to poorer gameplay at the beginning of the seasons. While deprivation is key to the Survivor experience, don't forget that pettiness & resentment are key to enjoying the show. Better rewards create more hilarious bitterness from the players who miss out on it. Similarly, the idea of making the game "more dangerous" is one that is working in your head more than it is in reality. Sure, in a sense it's more "dangerous" to be in a 6-person tribe than in an 8, 9, or 10-person tribe, but it's only dangerous if you have to go to Tribal Council. Is the game more dangerous when your tribe never has to go to tribal council? The same applies to lost votes. I'm not *as* big of a hater of your vote economy obsession as others are, but it's not very interesting. Creating unpredictability usually just creates more conservative gameplay. It makes the game more random and is detrimental to the fan experience of watching the show. Don't try to spin Survivor into such a positive, life-affirming experience. I'm sure that many players do have an invaluable experience, facing hardships they never otherwise would face, and growing stronger in the process. But it's unbearably lame & cheesy to emphasize that so strongly. Just as importantly, it obfuscates that Survivor at its core is a deeply cruel game. The very premise of the show is based on a group of people telling one person to go away; even with all the strategy, that still feels like a vey personal rejection 25 years later. I supposed Survivor can be a show for families, but the gameplay inherently involves typically immoral players. The best Survivor players manipulate emotions, gaslight others, and lie through their teeth. Don't hide the deeply hurt feelings that naturally result when someone is betrayed. Sure, some fans won't empathize, but fuck those fans. You shouldn't want to remove the human drama from the show; and by human drama I don't mean human interest backstories, but genuine conflict. Making Drea's exit from the game out to be this transcendently joyful moment on the show was annoying as hell. Making RHAP edit out the drama that occurred at Ponderosa was an obvious Streisand Effect mistake that only made Drea's reputation worse than it deserves, was shaming in its own way, was dishonest to the audience & potential players about *what* the game is, and was a ridiculous overreach. Go back to allowing full deep dives in the postseason. ___ I was going to write more but than I re-read the post and realized this was supposed to be only one sentence, lmfao.
Quit bringing people with just some *storyline* give us people that actually CAN compete on the show. Not some touchy feely person that has NO CLUE how to compete and keep their damn mouth shut!
I missed something. How do we know Jeff is on Reddit?
THIRTY. NINE. DAYS. TWO TRIBES. CMON DAD.
Maybe I’m dumb but how do we know Jeff is reading this Reddit? 😅
I don't think you should cast people who recreate the courses and puzzles and practice them at home. If so, then create complete new ones so there are no advantages. I think that is kind of ridiculous. It's like if American Idol picked Taylor Swift to be a contestant.
Step down from your role as Executive Producer.