After a lack of old-school conflict in recent Survivor seasons, fans believe the days of villainous players are over. Instead of directly targeting individuals and making moves known, Survivor contestants more commonly use behind-the-scenes gameplay to get them far until they need a big game-changing move for their resumé. This gameplay style is beneficial, but lacks the drama-filled moments fans loved to see in the past seasons.
As Survivor season 44 begins, it is natural that the show goes through many changes over the years. In some ways, the show has benefited from changes, like the new CBS diversity casting initiative, which states that CBS reality shows must have at least fifty percent of each cast's contestants be BIPOC. However, fans are disappointed in other changes, such as Survivor's sob story editing and the hourglass advantage twist. The different editing style and gameplay have fans missing the old days of drama where Survivor contestants were really in conflict with one another.
Survivor Is Shifting To Inspiring Storytelling
On Reddit, user u/InsuranceAltruistic1 began a thread wondering if the Survivor casting team is going out of its way to avoid villainous players. Other users in the thread agreed that part of the issue could stem from the casting team, who wants to change the show's image. One user believes "the show wants to pivot to an inspiring, family friendly game show." Another Redditor agreed, saying the show is "taking away potentially controversial entertainment value in exchange for inspirational stories of overcoming obstacles." Host Jeff Probst overdid inspirational commentary on Survivor 43, which fans believed took away from the gameplay last season.
Survivor Cast Members Face Backlash On Social Media
Other users in the thread commented that the lack of villainous cast members on Survivor could be due to social media pressure. One user commented, "Back in the day, people didn't really have social media or couldn't make a career out of it." While having social media for fans to follow wasn't prevalent in the early days of Survivor, it is almost a guarantee that any cast member has an account now.
Survivor Contestants' Images Follow Them In Real Life
The image cast members create on Survivor can follow them in the real world once the season concludes, which is problematic when viewers can't separate the player from the person. If a cast member were to act villainous, the likelihood of angry fans attacking them on social media is high, even though that might not be how they are in their everyday life. Entertaining Survivor contestants like Kass McQuillen, who are simply playing to win, would be more subject to the harsh judgment of fans for villainous gameplay. Another user said, "The audience is always out for blood. The cast is always under immense scrutiny."
Unless a Survivor contestant doesn't fear the judgment of fans on their social media, it is unlikely they will act as ruthless as past villains. Even then, it appears the production team is aiming for storytelling away from the drama between cast members, and more towards individual backstories. However, an eventful and dramatic Survivor 44 could show the return of the classic Survivor villain.
Source: u/InsuranceAltruistic1/Reddit