With audience still debating who played the best game in Survivor 43, longtime fans may be marveling at how far the reality series has come since it began. For new fans, Survivor 44 won't be airing until March 2023, giving everyone plenty of time to catch up on every season, with started with Survivor: Borneo.
While there's a certain nostalgia for some Survivor's earliest seasons, a fresh pair of eyes reveals that not everything came into place during the show's first season. Many of the core elements are there, but so too are some harsh realities relating to pacing and the behavior of the players that some might find unbearable in 2022.
Subpar Production Quality
Though it's a rather minor issue in the grand scheme of things, the first thing people might notice about Survivor: Borneo when watching it now is the visual quality. Like many shows from the time, it wasn't produced in HD, and Survivor wouldn't make the jump until Gabon in 2008.
Because Survivor: Borneo was filmed in standard definition, the show's lush setting is made dull by a muted color palette. What's more damning, however, is the fact that the film quality can be fuzzy, making some fast-paced challenges a chore to watch.
Awkward Tribal Councils
In recent years, audiences have criticized the chaotic nature of Tribal Council, with contestants putting Jeff on hold to retool voting strategies. Compared to the freewheeling nature of Tribal in Survivor 43, Tribal Council was treated as a far more somber affair in Survivor's first season.
While some viewers might prefer the hushed nature of Tribal in Survivor: Borneo, most would be shocked and bored by how little is said. There's very little in the way of drama regarding blindsides and betrayals, with most of the speaking time dedicated to reflection on what it's like adjusting to life in Borneo.
Grumpy Contestants
Because Survivor wasn't about cut-throat gameplay in its first season, Survivor: Borneo remains the best season for letting audiences into the headspace of the contestants. This led to many becoming enamored with the likes of Rudy and Richard Hatch, who possessed colorful personalities, but the downside is that the less noteworthy contestants became remembered for one thing: complaining.
While it's perfectly normal to express grievances over the lack of food and shelter that one experiences from living on a remote island for 39 days, the amount of groaning from Borneo's cast of players is exhausting. Nearly every episode is dedicated to people arguing with one another about how to build a shelter or who was responsible for a lost challenge, and it can get tiresome real quick.
No Hidden Immunity Idols
Fans might be divided on whether Survivor has too many advantages in play with the 43rd season of the show, but almost everyone agrees that it's preferable to what Borneo had to offer. Outside of challenges, there were no immunity idols, and certainly no advantages like "Choose Your Champion."
Because of the lack of immunity idols, it was practically impossible for contestants to blindside each other. Votes were carried out as predicted, with much of the time at camp being spent on the players' attempts to adapt to their environment.
Only One Alliance
Survivor is a show that is defined by its alliances. Every season has one, and they usually advance the game in exciting and shocking ways, yet Survivor's first season is unique in that it only featured one.
Because Survivor was conceived as a social experiment, the idea of an alliance seemed alien to the goals of the program. For much of Borneo's runtime, players were eliminated based on their skills in challenges or contributions at camp, but that all changed once Richard Hatch devised the alliance system in order to win the game, a choice that rubbed some contestants the wrong way.
The Sexism
While the way female contestants were treated wasn't as bad as in one of Survivor's worst seasons, the way in which Kelly Wiglesworth and Colleen Haskell were dismissed by their male competitors has not held up very well. It's understandable that not everyone is equally good at challenges, but for the men to constantly put down their female teammates as inferior is disheartening.
Beyond the traditional sexist attitudes regarding physical strength and capabilities, some of the comments made about how "hot" some of the female contestants were hasn't aged well. It never went beyond that, but it still makes certain camp moments uncomfortable.
Dirk Been's Homophobia
Attitudes have changed since Survivor first aired over 20 years ago, and some things in earlier seasons are now realized as harmful and problematic. Such is the case with Dirk Been's attitude toward Richard Hatch, Survivor's first champion and openly gay contestant.
While it's quite possible that Been's views have changed in the years since he was on Survivor, his lack of respect for Hatch because of the latter's sexual identity is discomforting and his interactions with him wouldn't fly today.
Simple Challenges
Survivor is a show that's known for its challenges. They're the one aspect of the game that has consistently been praised throughout its 43-season run, yet going back to the show's first season can be an eye-opening affair.
While several of Survivor's most beloved challenges - such as the food-eating competitions - found their start in Borneo, many of the challenges from the season lack the excitement and variety of the modern show. It's fascinating to see just how primitive some of these challenges are, such as the very first, but others can be rather dull.
Slow Pacing
The first season Survivor is unique in that it really is a social experiment. The contestants weren't gunning for each other on day one, strategizing and trying to find idols. It was simply about socializing with strangers and seeing if bonds could be formed that would ensure the tribe survived.
While there's a certain charm to watching the players relax on the beach as they attempt to familiarize themselves with their tribe mates, and it also makes for rather slow television. This doesn't necessarily make Survivor: Borneo bad, but it does hinder the debut season's rewatchability.
Jeff Isn't Yet A Confident Host
While Jeff Probst might be the glue that holds Survivor together nowadays, his presence in the show's first season feels rather minimal. Part of it is due to Borneo's emphasis on the players and camp life, but Jeff's lack of presence can also be chalked up to the fact that he didn't entirely know what he was doing.
Beyond minor things like Jeff not knowing anyone's name and the lack of inflection he gives when reading votes at tribal, the true sign that Jeff hasn't nailed the gig is his lack of narration during challenges. It's clear that he has no idea how to take command, and this makes for awkward moments when rewatching today.