Survivor’s longevity fostered by willingness to take risks

The 35th season of Survivor airs in the fall and there are many reasons why the show has stuck around, but willingness to take risks is chief among them.

To win the game of Survivor, there are numerous things that you have to accomplish over 39 days. “Outwit, Outplay, Outlast” may be the show’s tag-line, but it’s also a simplified version of what it takes to be named Sole Survivor. Of course, as host Jeff Probst will tell you (often), it also takes something more nuanced than that. As he would say, it takes “BIG MOVES!” (all-caps necessary).

Though Probst talking about such moves is a punchline at this point, it does hold true for the most part. If you’re going to win at this game, or at least make it to Final Tribal Council, you’re going to have to take risks. We’ve seen many types of risks pay off along the way as well, some calculated and others more fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants (looking at you, Tony Vlachos).

As much as the willingness to take risks has benefitted players throughout the show, though, that same quality has also benefitted Survivor as a show and entity. If nothing else, Probst, Mark Burnett and the producers are always willing to take risks.

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One of my colleagues, Cheryl Wassenaar, is currently doing a retro re-watch of Survivor: Cook Islands. Interestingly enough, that season fits perfectly into the mold of taking risks. Cook Islands began with four tribes with the divisions determined by race/ethnicity. Especially considering the tensions in the country then and today, that’s such a bold call on the part of the show to even attempt that. And while they abandoned those tribes relatively quickly, it was something that kept the show fresh.

While none have toed the line that you don’t want to cross quite like Cook Islands, many other seasons of Survivor have taken risks with twists. When you look at seasons like Blood vs. Water, One World or even Worlds Apart, these are all pretty drastic was to try and divide people to compete against one another. Yet they all have their own endearing qualities because it’s still the same great reality competition, only with a facelift.

Even in the most recent season, Game Changers, we saw another big twist added to the game. Final Tribal Council, which has been essentially the same since the first season, is now an open forum of sorts. This completely changes the dynamics of that moment, which can be so crucial for someone looking to win. Considering that this happened in the 34th season, that’s wild to make such a change.

Whether it be getting more creative with Hidden Immunity Idols, having Exile Island be a yacht, or a number of other things, there are countless examples of how Survivor has taken calculated risks to make sure they’re adapting and changing. Sure, not all of these risks have worked — Redemption Island is waving at us all — but it’s never been monotonous in that regard.

That’s only talking about the format and show, as well. Again looking at Game Changers as an example, the producers again took a risk by choosing to handle and address Jeff Varner outing Zeke Smith as transgender. For what it’s worth, Survivor mostly nailed how it was handled and discussed with grace and tact, largely thanks to Zeke simply being incredible in the moment and thereafter. But the fact that the show was unafraid to address such serious issues and confident in their ability to do so with tact again speaks to how they’ve thrived in this regard.

In the fall, Survivor’s 35th season, Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers will air, and season 36 has already been picked up in the spring. Few shows of any kind can boast that kind of staying power, especially with the ratings that Probst and co. still draw — much less a reality competition.

However, it’s this willingness to take risks that’s been on display time and again that truly allows Survivor the longevity that the show has had. Had the show not been willing to push the envelope in some ways and make bold changes in others and stuck with the same thing from season 1 on, there’s no way it would be nearing 40 seasons. It’s not only kept the show fresh for fans, but other moments have kept it culturally relevant as well.

Next: Survivor Game Changers: Ranking All 33 Previous Seasons

There may be a day when CBS finally pulls the plug on Survivor. If it happened tomorrow, it’s still been an incredible run. With that said, their mentality in regards to taking risks hasn’t changed. As long as that’s the case, it’s hard to say that the show will be going anywhere.