Any "Survivor" fan will know that this show has evolved like no other show before. Started in 2000, it continues to air two seasons each year in the spring and fall for all fans to see. Many times a season will include previous contestants who have played before come back for another chance at the million dollar prize. This next season, the 34th season of the franchise, will premiere on March 8, 2017, and will have 20 returnees from seasons past. It is currently a season of hype, and while I am excited about certain inclusions, I am very conflicted by the direction that "Survivor" is going.
The next season, titled "Game Changers" will supposedly feature 20 people who have made big moves to change the game. While certain people in the cast fit this mold, like Cirie Fields and her blindsides in "Micronesia", I would say some of this cast don't rely on big moves to change the game. Sandra Diaz Twine, the woman in this season who has won two times before, did not need big flashy moves to win. It's all about subtlety and social interactions that help you progress, and I feel like that point is missed.
The title of this season rewards people who make moves for the hell of it, and puts extra pressure on those who don't "change the game" to do so, or they will be judged. This might cause players who are doing well to trash their games just to say they made an impact, when that impact may hurt them instead of help them in the process. I don't like it one bit.
The direction "Survivor" is going is prioritizing the show as a chess match instead of a social experiment of 20 different people from all walks of life interacting, which it has always been since the beginning. It's about the friendships, relationships, conflicts, passion, and personalities that these people share, and for the game to put that to the side and turn it into robots on a mission to kill, defeats the entire purpose of the franchise.
Previous seasons like "Cambodia", another season that had 20 returnees, had a lot of big moves, but the characters of the season were not able to show who they were as people, which removed the fun of actually rooting for them.
I pray that "Game Changers" does not go the direction I predict, and it shows these goofy returnees as people interacting and trying to find the inner strength to win. It's not just a game--it's still life.
