CBS needs a Survivor and Australian Survivor crossover

A tweet from the Australian Survivor account reminds us that CBS owns networks for both US and AU versions. We need a crossover yesterday!

It’s hard for CBS to innovate Survivor without going bigger and bolder. I sincerely doubt executives running the show (especially Jeff Probst) want to go what they view as backward by removing idols, advantages and other trinkets, and it seems as though casting stunts are their specialty with so many Fijian seasons in the present and near-future.

This future cycle of Survivor, however, will feature something never before seen in the US version; Canadian(s). That’s right, for the first time since Todd Herzog (whose mother is Canadian), the true North strong and free will have an opportunity to compete with the US and prove that we can find just as many idols, search for as many advantages and get the benefit from just as many twists as Americans.

However, a tweet from the Australian Survivor Twitter account today reminded us of the ultimate missed opportunity; a Survivor crossover. With Russell Hantz appearing on the AU version last season as a champion of runners-up to an eventual champion, they wanted to look at 12 other players from the US who they would like to compete on their show.

Why does it have to be returning players, I ask? We’ve done enough pondering about that the last month; why not bring regular Americans to compete against regular Australians on either American or Australian television?

Once thought an impossibility is more and more possible thanks to CBS buying out the Ten Network Holdings majority. Not only does the network that brought you favorites such as Sandra Diaz-Twine, Kim Spradlin, Parvati Shallow and some dudes (Massachusetts Bob was one of them, I think?) have access to share the show internationally but also makes money broadcasting an international version of Survivor.

With Canadian(s) set to compete on the US show, the contest rules have been relaxed to allow more than just Americans to compete. As long as the show is broadcast primarily in the US and simulcast to other countries (Global TV being the Canadian rightsholders), it’s entirely reasonable that CBS could open up its competitors to allow Australians and Americans compete against each other.

While I’d rather it be based on newbies competing for international bragging rights, should this pipe dream ever occur, I would expect an All-Star season with the best or most famous players from both shows competing to draw in as many viewers as possible. It’d essentially be a Champions vs. Champions kind of theme that would be a satire of modern Australian seasons.

What do you think, readers? Would you love to see a Survivor vs. Australian Survivor crossover competition? Would you like to see it only if it had newbies for each or All-Star players for each? Or are you completely disinterested in the idea? Let us know.