Survivor’s Brendan Shapiro on whether the show needs to leave Fiji

Some months after the completion of his Survivor Ghost Island season on television, Brendan Shapiro answers AMA questions from Reddit.

Though the long trail towards the end of Survivor Ghost Island became a tad predictable due to the strength of “Naviti Strong,” in retrospect, few could see the intense ending of the first Final Tribal Council tie vote coming. It came in no small part from the early decimation of Malolo, punctuated at the beginning with the departure of tribe leader Brendan Shapiro.

Offering up his time this week, Brendan answered some questions the community had to ask him on Reddit, opening a window into his personal style and viewpoints on Survivor both as a fan and as a player on the island. Casting editor Lloyd Quinto even posited how he thinks he’d be a better player as; now or when he first applied for season four. His argument relied on life experience but acknowledges it was easier to win back then due to lack of gamesmanship.

We had many Survivor Ghost Island players pop up during the AMA, including James Lim while hanging out in Brendan’s house, Donathan Hurley in response to if Jacob convinced anyone he had an idol and Jacob Derwin himself on what album he would bring to the island in a scenario where he could play it for the tribe.

One person asked a series of questions, one of which I thought provided an interesting answer. On the topic of “should the show leave Fiji,” Brendan said he doesn’t care. As long as the cast is solid, “You could stage Survivor in Virginia Beach if you had the most kick-ass cast ever.”

Early on, I was solidly on the side that disagreed with Brendan, but after seeing what’s going on in Australian Survivor: Champions vs Contenders, I am starting to see why it’s an okay place to make the show a mainstay. As long as people are playing the game and the show gets to continue on, that’s what ultimately matters most.

You should check out the full Brendan Shapiro Survivor AMA over at Reddit.