After the lowest merge ratings in the show’s history, Survivor ratings have bounced back with season 35 episode 8 bringing in close to nine million viewers.
Some may have found the pre-merge Survivor season 35 episodes to be a tad boring. On social media, I’m finding a surprising amount of people complain about the lack of characters to root for, predictable 5-1, 4-1 voting lines and too much Ryan airtime trying to show how much of a Cochran character he is.
That could be the reason why viewership petered out near the merge, but Survivor has come back this week in a big way. The Wednesday night final TV stats are in, and 8.85 million people in the 18-49 Adult demographic tuned in to see Lauren win a convoluted Secret Advantage, someone trying to pretend spaghetti being served on cloth is a thing and a bunch of people fight in the sand over a Hidden Immunity Idol that had since been taken.
This makes Survivor season 35 episode 8 the most-viewed episode of the season, followed by the premiere episode on September 27 (8.33 million) and the fifth episode, Roark’s boot, the third-most watched episode with 8.22 million. It was also the most-viewed episode of Wednesday night, trailed by The Voice at 9 p.m. (7.71 million) and Survivor’s follow-up show SEAL Team (7.24 million).
In terms of the key demo, the show received a 1.7/6 ratings/share split. That was good enough for a tie for second place on the night, with Empire leading the way with a 2.0/8 and Modern Family tying in second play with a 1.7/6 split of its own.
Next: Survivor Winners: Ranking Sole Survivors By Season
For the first time in a long time, the double-length Survivor spot will not be on the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. Instead, next week will be another one-hour episode, with CBS opting to give the show two one-hour episodes back to back on Wednesday, November 29 instead. With SEAL Team’s first-season ratings slipping, that show could use all the help it can get, while Survivor ratings continue to be among the best of the night each week.