Survivor: Edge of Extinction was trending on Twitter to non-fans’ dismay

Edge of Extinction has been a controversial addition to Survivor: Winners at War, but non-Survivor fans feared the worst when it trended on Twitter.

With the Survivor: Winners at War episode 1 premiere giving us 20 champions from past and current eras coming together to fight for $2 million, it was no surprise that many people took to social media to follow along. I wouldn’t be surprised if it gave The Masked Singer a run for its money in the ratings, even though the show overtook Survivor in the Wednesday night slot last season.

There were a lot of talking points to cover, and we’ve got all of those covered in our recap. For the record, this post is free of spoilers about Survivor: Winners at War episode 1, but something that was known from the start is that this season will feature the Edge of Extinction twist, albeit with new caveats.

With so many Survivor fans discussing the twist, it made the Edge of Extinction a trending topic on Twitter. The problem, if you’re not a fan of the show, is that “Edge of Extinction,” without context, sounds like a term that would conjure up the worst impressions of what could possibly be going wrong in the US and the world abroad.

Just like the first of two Tribal Councils last night, those who saw “Edge of Extinction” trending on Twitter could justifiably be concerned about the state of the US and global politics, especially in how aggressively charged some of the terms being brought to the discourse.

Others saw the term trending and reacted with cynicism about the end of times, only to realize that it related to a reality television show.

With the advent of the 2019 novel coronavirus spreading, the listing of “Edge of Extinction” above a story concerning the virus made for one of the more alarming examples of whiplash out there.

Even those covering film and television were unaware of the Edge of Extinction until fans of the show made it a trending topic within the US.

Of course, amid the non-fans’ reactions, there were jokes and opinions from those watching along and being in on the joke itself.

Much like us, there were those who heard about the changes to the Edge of Extinction that had Strong Opinions™ about its new direction.

For others, somehow, there were shifting opinions on the twist now that their favorites might get another chance to win, proving that the cult of personality is more than enough to change minds.

Thankfully, for those with taste, the Edge of Extinction will not be part of the show’s future going forward, although it may come back on a rainy day. If it gets the Exile Island and Redemption Island treatment (reserved for things like Blood vs. Water-formatted seasons), then it might have acceptable usage. Otherwise, it might be a phrase that horrifies on Twitter for fans, as well.