Since the announcement of the cast of Survivor 50, one cannot help but think, “Which era of Survivor has the better players?” Entertainment Weekly even created a poll for fans to vote on which era is better. After voting, the percentage was drastically clear that the old era is the favorite.
Since Survivor began in 2000, there have been several “eras,” but in Survivor 50, it’s considered the old era vs. the new era. This means that the returning players who competed prior to season 41 are not considered “new era” players.
Just from watching two episodes, it seems clear that the old era returning players are getting a lot of attention, not only in the game but on camera. It may be obvious, but the old era players are not only bigger risk takers, but their strategy in the game is much different.
There have been several comments from old and new era players during their solo confessionals on the last two episodes about their strategy and gameplay. In the second episode, we see Joe Hunter and Rick Devens get into a heated discussion on the beach regarding Devens not being “honest” with Joe during an earlier conversation at the water well, which is a prime example of a new and old era player’s strategies not aligning.
This led to players from the Cila tribe even considering voting Joe out at tribal council due to his approach of playing the game with honesty and integrity. How the new and old era players were going to strategize together was something fans were intrigued to see in season 50.
Now, it does not go unnoticed that the new generation players do still lie and backstab; it is the game of Survivor after all. Even Kamilla Karthigesu mentioned in one of her confessionals that her season was full of honesty and integrity, and she wanted her strategy in the game to be played differently.
Later in the episode, viewers see Devens and Christian Hubicki devise a plan to make and hide a fake idol at the end of tribal council. How much bolder can a player get?
At the moment, during the new episodes of Survivor, it is clear that the old era players are getting more screen time. They are making the big moves, they are creating the chaos, they are bringing fans back to what Survivor used to be and what had us on the edge of our seats. We want the lying and scheming, we want the fake idols, we want the moments that have us mind-blown by what we are watching.
It is still early in the season, but I wonder if the new era generation can keep up with the “old school” strategy that the old era players are bringing into this newest season of Survivor, or will they fall short due to a fake idol or unexpected blindside?
We'll find out when Survivor 50 continues with episode 3 on Wednesday, March 11, on CBS and Paramount+.