Survivor 41 Promo Video is Out! Finally we have some clues to this season...
Take a look at the video released by CBS and Host Jeff Probst previewing Survivor 41!
For this blog post I want to take some time with some parts of the Survivor 41 preview video, think about it, pose some questions, make some comparisons, and have some good old fashion speculation! There is a lot to unpack from this 3 minute beak wetter and gosh darn it I just can’t wait for the monster to come get us starting September 22nd.
““For 21 years, Survivor has continued to evolve...And over 40 seasons, the game has become more complex.””
Tell us something we didn’t know Jeff. No, I understand why that this is meant to set up or cushion the blow when it comes to the changes for 41. They need to hold the collective viewers’ hands through this transition while walking down memory lane of change in the game is nothing new and something we always need time to get comfortable with.
They rightfully go down the whole list.
Season 3, Africa - first tribe swap
Season 11, Guatemala - first Hidden Immunity Idol
Season 19, Samoa - Russell finds Hidden Immunity Idols without clues and blows the Survivor communities collective minds.
The list could have gone on. Idol Nullifier, Legacy Advantage, final four fire making challenge, Edge of Extinction, Fire Tokens and now the 26 day format. Twists and secret advantages have become common place in new school Survivor.
““Every twist we’ve ever done, people hated in the beginning.””
I am not the “Since Day 1” Survivor fan, so I don’t know how the Survivor community truly reacted, myself included, when it came to every twist. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t have feelings about some of the twists in the history of the game. To me, the first thing I think about is that the game had to evolve and if the producers of the show didn’t tweak and tinker with the show’s format, more Cochran’s would have emerged, banned together, and Pagonged the show right off the air.
Twists like the tribe swap, Season 5’s school yard pick, or Season 6’s men vs. women beginning. were all subtle tweaks that provided enough of a shift that made people uncomfortable but the game and cadence of the show they loved was still the same. Season 8, All-Stars had 3 tribes to start, all returning players, and birthed the MJ of Survivor, but maybe most of all it cemented that there are characters that people loved to root for on the show and that will always be a card the franchise can play successfully.
““Players must learn to adapt or they’ll be voted out.””
@survivorcbs Twitter
Burn. Cringe. Harsh.
The people behind this promo video could have chosen a lot of Survivor players that fit the message of this quote. But, they chose Ozzy. Fan favorite, Survivor heartthrob, challenge beast, and someone America rooted for, wished would win, and arguably should have won (I would have voted for Yul).
But…
He is the greatest and most glaring example of not adapting to the game. The “monster” got him. Playing to his strengths and minimizing exposure of his weaknesses by fishing and willingly going to redemption island can help you go far but not to the mountain top. Ozzy’s journey in Survivor is as compelling as it gets, but maybe the new era of Survivor could help a player like Ozzy.
““Survivor 41 is birthing a new era...starting with a much more dangerous 26-day game.””
@survivorcbs Twitter
Dangerous? I think any Survivor fan who heard this might imagine to themselves “How does taking away 13 days from Survivor make the game much more dangerous?” like I would. I understand that it makes the game a faster pace and thus forces players to make bigger decisions sooner or more in the moment than they would have prepared to do. That’s cool, but is that just a more exhilarating way to say “we had to do 26 days because of the many constraints of COVID-19"?
No matter the reason or the message delivery method, 26 days is a HUGE twist, and either will have staying power OR likely be around short term and chalked up to COVID. My guess, 26 days doesn’t make it. The reason is 26 days will forever have the COVID stink on it. As time and 41, 42, 43 go by, my hope, everyone’s hope, is that the world can return to a sense of normalcy where the many constraints of producing a TV show with an international crew are minimized and COVID is in the rear view mirror fully.
Regardless, I like the 26 days. It accomplishes “starting a new era” in Survivor by the nature of it. It creates a buzz about Survivor 41. It makes every Survivor fan rethink strategy, and my favorite, changes how the players will play and fans will watch/play along at home. Less time does mean gauging decisions faster, calculating moves more quickly, searching for idols sooner than later, and the likelihood of double eliminations or challenges at Tribal Council or other blindsides are more likely. The 26 days reminds me of people who are getting married and the difference between people who have a longer, more typical engagement (39 days) and those who have less than 6 months of an engagement (26 days). In the end you arrive at the same point. You make all the same decisions. But, the difference is you don’t have the luxury of time to be a little more complacent or indecisive. The shorter engagement forces you to GET SHIT DONE! My bet is that is at least part of what makes the producers and Probst excited about the shorter format. Lastly, maybe most important of all. Does this mean more seasons per year? Could be a BIG win for everybody.
““...let the audience in on things in ways we never have before. Bring them inside the game a little more and pose the question, now you have this information before the players do what do you think you would do?””
Aren’t people already doing this at home? To be fair, I’m not the guy who grew up watching from age 5 with my parents and Survivor was our family time the past 20 years. However, I think viewers are strategizing about the game, who they would target, what they would do if they had an idol, etc. My hope for this segment is for Probst to explain it much like he did in Borneo.
Lots of other ideas come to mind about the part of the viewer getting information before the players do. Do we know where the Immunity Idol is? Do we know what the challenge is so we could strategize? Does this make the viewer an even more omniscient 19th castaway? Or, does this mean that CONTENT is the name of the game and Paramount+ subscribers (me!) will be privy to all the premium behind the scenes action that “we just couldn’t fit into the episode”? (Kind of like this but also hate it) Lots of questions that are impossible to answer until September 22nd, but the juices are flowing. Let’s continue shall we…
““Game within the game is an interactive experience for junior, future Survivor players. They’ll have to spot and solve Rebus puzzles hidden within each episode.””
@survivorcbs Twitter
At the Winners at War finale Jeff blindsided everyone when he asked those under 18 to apply for the show.
And now, with the release of the Survivor 41 promo video we have a little context about Survivor and “junior” Survivor fans and future players. It’s called the “Game within the Game”. At first glance, again aren’t kids who are watching this already thinking about the strategy of the game or trying to solve puzzles or have maniac parents who are buying them Vexzle puzzles from previous seasons to try their luck on? Maybe. But maybe not. Maybe Survivor 41 will be a new error because the target will be the younger children of Survivor junkies. Maybe the thought is if we can get those kids to be interacting, involved, engaged, and interested in Survivor, then the show will be in good hands for another 21 years to come.
However, there is another side of this development of a baseball like minor league farm system that Survivor is dipping their toe into. The other side is the possibility of disrupting (or further connecting) the viewing experience to the core base and the “interactive experience” part of the Game within the Game feeling like an updated and more edgy episode of Blue’s Clues.
I grew up figuring out Blue’s Clues alongside my pal Steve, but is this what the future of Survivor will look like? Is Probst going to walk by a Rebus puzzle clue on screen and the junior Survivor fans are going to shout out from their living rooms to Jeff “a clue, a clue!”and then Jeff will turn and jot down the clue on his handy dandy parchment? Obviously this won’t be what actually transpires but the logistics of how this will work will be interesting to see play out.
Making the game interactive is important and 41 will be a step toward playing the game from home actually tangible. Now, will this eventually get to Russell’s desired “let America decide the winner”? Definitely not. But, the game itself is what keeps people interested and following the show for 21 years, so why not take the time that COVID allowed Survivor to take, think about how to make the show interactive for fans, especially younger ones. and try it. They very well could figure out Jeff’s Clues!
Speaking of Russell.
One other thing that was interesting about the Game within the Game was brought up by none other than Mr. Hantz himself about the Game within the Game being clues to a puzzle that could be used later on in a future season.
Leave it to Russell to be possibly one step ahead of the average Survivor thinker and fan! If the puzzles used during the Game within the Game were used in future seasons at any capacity, that could be cool, but would be tough to regulate or figure out at least a level starting line for castaways on a season using this twist, or maybe in the casting process they could select only those who prove they developed their fandom through the minor league “junior future Survivor” program started in 41.
One last thought on this, perhaps developing/targeting junior, future Survivor players could lead to a different spin-off of Survivor like the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise has “Bachelor in Paradise”. Could Survivor put together a 14 or 26 day, online or housed in the US version of Survivor with the under 18 crowd? I know Russell wouldn’t necessarily fancy it, but maybe it is an investment that the franchise is looking to make to preserve the future of the franchise or to grow the brand to another demographic.
““When it comes to twists on Survivor, the smart, aggressive players take it, adapt, and move on.””
@survivorcbs Twitter
This part of the promo is delivered with a different and distinct tone. It’s as if Jeff is talking directly to anyone who will watch and join in on the Game within the Game or anyone that wants to send in an audition and be cast. Jeff’s right. Players like Tony and Sandra are smart and aggressive. They take the twists, meet them head on, adapt and plow forward. They don’t dabble or hesitate. They react. It’s like that story you’ve probably heard in high school about whoever gets the first punch in usually wins the fight or at least commands the upperhand until it gets broken up. Same thing in Survivor. The aggressive, chaos inducing, and comfortable with the uncomfortable players are the ones who usually make it far and control the game. With 41 shrinking from 39 to 26 days, castaways will be likely forced to think like Tony would, adapt, and move forward or else somebody else will punch first!
““Because the game is kind of like the monster in a horror movie...You just try to outwit it, outplay, outlast it. Because otherwise, if you don’t kill the monster, the monster will kill you.””
Foreshadowing?
Is the game going to be so terrifying with twists and blindsides that literally it will be like Michael Myers chasing down Jamie Lee Curtis who must make in the moment decision after decision to barely stay alive? I mean that is kind of how Survivor has been for 21 years but overtime the “monster” aka the game has definitely picked up speed in its pursuit of unsuspecting or unprepared players.
I wonder too, was 41 constructed with all the typical twists and turns that the producers deliberately put into it but at the end of filming what ended up being the storyline throughout was people being picked off 1 by 1 because they couldn’t adapt and move on quick enough? The producers have the advantage of shooting the season, editing it all together and creating the story and narrative the best way possible to maximize the viewer experience. I guess when we sit down each Wednesday night we should make sure our phone line has a dial tone, the doors are locked, and make sure we have an escape plan if the monster is gaining on us too much.
““It is fast. You got to earn everything and even then, there’s no guarantees that you’ll keep it. That’s Survivor right now. So buckle up.””
My seat belt is fastened! I’m mentally preparing for an all out blitz from the season in every episode. They are building 41 up with the less days, the speed of the game, and the whole “monster” business to be like Cagayan on steroids. In the end, they had more time to prepare for this season and thus the hype and anticipation is naturally going to be through the roof. That’s a good thing. It’s a good thing for every stakeholder in the Survivor community for sure. It’s been over a year since 40 ended. We’ve earned this season because there was no guarantees of it happening. Let’s be grateful to have 41, enjoy it, hold back our criticisms a bit when it comes to the new twists, and have as much fun with this season as possible.
Be sure to follow along with me this season as I blog about each episode!
The blog has spoken!
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