Survivor is one of the most popular reality television shows in history, and has managed to last over two decades and 48 seasons, with no end in sight. With that comes an incredibly loyal fanbase, one that engages in every aspect of the game, whether with positive or negative reactions. That has been especially highlighted with the upcoming Survivor 50 voting and cast announcements.
This has also made fans very curious about the production and behind-the-scenes happenings that we do not get to see on air. From challenge set-up to food and drinks to tribal council, fans love to learn what it takes to run the game and the intricacies of every element. This is the premise behind the On Fire podcast: deliver exclusive background knowledge to fans they cannot get anywhere else.
In episode 4 of this season, the podcast touched upon how long players have for the challenge prep. As it turns out, the answer is very little.
On Fire with Jeff Probst is the official Survivor podcast, and for season 48, was hosted by Jeff Probst, producer Jay Wolff, and Survivor 47 winner Rachel LaMont. On Episode 4, they were reflecting on Vula's immunity challenge loss after blowing it on a puzzle. This triggered some conversation about how tribes plan for challenges.
Jay asked Rachel, "How do you approach strategizing for the challenges, especially when it comes to a big puzzle?"
Rachel went into a detailed response from there.
"You have very little time. Jeff, back me up here," Rachel said. "What do we get? 90 seconds? Two minutes?" Jeff confirmed this immediately.
"It flies by," she continued. "It is enough time to assign roles and maybe say something like, 'Oh, I noticed there's a pattern on one side of those pieces, so those have to be facing out.'"
"Like, that's all you get, and then we're cut off, and the challenge begins. So choosing the right people for the right roles is everything, because you are going to be figuring it out on the fly, communicating your strategy in real time," she says.
Strategy plays a way bigger part in the challenges than you might expect.
She finishes her thoughts by reminding viewers of the differences for them at home.
"And remember, with a big puzzle, especially to the viewers at home, you get to see this fun clip before the challenge starts, of the dream team assembling the puzzle and what it looks like when it's done. We, as players, have no idea what the final puzzle is. So it's even more challenging. If you make a bad call and put the wrong person on the puzzle like Vula did here, you will pay the price."
We may think that teams have plenty of time to plan, think out ideas, come up with a game plan, and shift ideas as things go on. The reality is, it is an incredible, fairly disorganized rush, and players have to make snap decisions. There is not a lot of time to analyze what players are best for what role, so a lot of times, they simply have to trust each other
From that lens, it makes sense why some teams struggle with parts of a challenge they personally chose players for. If they had more time, perhaps they could better analyze players' specific strengths and backgrounds that might lead them to choose other directions to go. Since that will not happen, though, expect continued chaos and disasters, and nail-biting challenge moments, just as we have come to love!
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