Why Survivor's David vs. Goliath theme was great! (and could be entertaining again)

Survivor: David vs. Goliathtapped into an ancient theme, pitting the underdog against the perceived favorite. The idea came from a famous biblical story where a young boy slew a giant with a rock and slingshot. That boy would later become a king. It is the ultimate underdog story.

And the long-running series took that idea and turned it into an interesting season that pitted two teams divided loosely along lines based on whether, in life, someone struggled and had to fight or if things came easier.

Being either a "Goliath" or a "David" is a mindset, because everyone has their struggles in life. OnSurvivor: David vs. Goliath, producers did a great job splitting up the contestants in a way that suited their personalities.

Why did a David vs. Goliath theme work so well onSurvivor?

Despite an early victory by the David tribe, that group struggled during the early stages of the game. Losses racked up, and two players left the game for medical reasons. Still, during the first nine days of the game, before a tribe shuffle, strong bonds formed, especially on the unscathed Goliath tribe.

When the tribes were shuffled from two into three, the Davids were outnumbered in all three, in true underdog fashion. When the tribes were merged, the Goliaths had a 7-6 advantage and immediately took down a David to stretch their numbers, seven to five.

The Davids were willing to play the game after the merge. They were willing to cross tribal lines, but none of the Goliaths seemed willing. Their Goliath roots stood firm, but then a funny thing happened.

The former David members began to sling their stones, and they were effective. By astute group management of their various advantages, the Davids picked off the three biggest Goliath physical threats over the next three tribal councils, swinging the advantage their way.

Unlike the Goliaths, however, the Davids weren't quite as united. Some of their relationships had frayed, andChristian Hubickiand Gabby Pascuzzi crossed tribal lines to vote off Carl Boudreaux for his Godfather-like behavior around camp.

Then Gabby tried to make her own move and take out Christian, who had been her staunchest ally throughout the game. It backfired; Gabby went home, and Christian quickly followed as the Davids' numbers dwindled.

Former David member Davie Rickenbacker was next, leaving four Goliaths and Nick Wilson, the only remaining David left in the game.

Of course, again in true David fashion, Nick maneuvered his way to the final three with three straight immunity challenge wins and ran away with the title of Sole Survivor.

Why this is all so important is that this particular theme was carried mostly to the end. Tribal lines held firm until the Carl vote. And the theme held true through the end, with a true underdog winning the season.

Could a David vs. Goliath theme work well again?

Maybe more than any other themed season, the David vs. Goliath division seemed ingrained with the players. They bonded over those designations. The Goliaths were proud to be Goliaths, and the Davids understood why they were Davids.

Even during the Final Tribal Council, Nick was asked what Goliath traits did he use to make it to the Final Three, and Angelina Keeley and Mike White were asked about what David traits helped them. In the end, however, just like the biblical story, the David came out on top.

This theme is easily repeatable. One could argue that since COVID, there have been far more Davids onSurvivorthan Goliaths, which wasn't the case for most of the first 40 seasons. Over the history of the game, it has been the Davids who have connected most with audiences. Think aboutCirie Fields, Rupert Boneham, John Cochran, David Wright, Zeke Smith, and others. These are the players fans rooted for.

Enough time has passed that this theme could be revisited. It would be interesting to see if the designations hold as strongly as in season 37, or if the players accept the labels as readily as they seemed to that first time.

Survivorhas moved away from the themes in the new era,In the Hands of Fansnotwithstanding. The game is now entering the open era, and how that will play out will be determined later. Still, David vs. Goliath could be revisited.

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