While there was once a demand to get the intro at least online, now Survivor fans have brought back #SaveTheSurvivorIntro because even that is gone now.
Last week, we passed on the disheartening report that there will be no Survivor intro for Island of the Idols this season. While a full intro hasn’t been a part of a regular broadcast for several years now (either shortened intros, no intros or one full one at the finale a la season 35), they had been customarily posted online before each season starts.
This has been a point of contention for online fans of video editing, stan music video creators and others who just generally love Survivor traditions. As such, there has been a pointed response from those parts of the community, with fans creating a #SaveTheSurvivorIntro hashtag on social media such as Twitter, as well as people rallying on the show’s subreddit.
Time is a flat circle, as the recent revival of the hashtag belongs to fan and television broadcasting graduate Ari Bacher. He is also the originator of the very first tweet with the hashtag more than five years ago, right around the premiere of San Juan del Sur. At that time, they cut the full intro and started the modern tradition of rushed intros, with slactivism then asking for the intro to go online.
@mattvanwagenen @JeffProbst Why is this the case? The credits are such an important piece of the show for contestants and fans. It’s the minute that showcases the faces/moments of the people who make the season unique! #savethesurvivorintro #survivor #survivor39 #dontsleepon39 https://t.co/UFsdvrT1Ts
— Ari Bacher✡️ (@Ari_bacher) September 24, 2019
Now, the campaign is to prevent the compromise from five years ago elapsing, with hopes of bringing the intro back online. The reasoning is they already have slow-mo footage of the castaways as shown in the premiere, and it helps to use it to connect the fans with the players as part of a long-standing, visually-appealing montage.
Though I’m not fully on the side of Survivor purist (I could take or leave the Rites of Passage, though it can have an impact), it seems like a needless move to abandon it completely. Why now, 38 seasons after its debut in the premiere, is it being done away with? Why, on the 39th season of games with 39 days (or more), do you cast it aside? It’s not like the show is at risk of cancelation!