Since 2000, Survivor has shown fans how far players are willing to go in order to become "Sole Survivors," but season 41 has been ridiculed by many and fans are hoping season 42 will be better. Each season, castaways are put into tribes where they have to battle the elements and the challenges, all while forming alliances to further their strategic game. Another staple in Survivor history are hidden immunity idols and advantages throughout the game, but that may be hindering the show as a whole. Here are all of the ways Survivor season 42 can improve from its previous season.
Survivor has always been a show about taking people from all walks of life and seeing how well they adapt to surviving on an island. It is one of the most difficult competition shows on TV because they get little food and no shelter, all while having the emotional toll of voting out fellow castaways at Tribal Council. To keep things interesting and keep fans guessing, Survivor added the hidden immunity idol in season 11.
Survivor season 40, Winners At War, is regarded as one of the best seasons in history because it had an amazing cast of previous winners, but season 41 was not as well liked. Many fans were disappointed with Survivor season 41 because the bar was set so high by host Jeff Probst and by the success of the previous season. Jeff called it the start of a new era, where the cast spent 26 rather than 39 days in Fiji and there were more advantages than ever before.
For Survivor season 42 to improve from 41, there should be less twists and advantages throughout the game, because less time was spent getting to know the players. Survivor seasons have always been known for showing a lot of the cast's backstory and showing many people that fans want to root for or love to hate. With all of the emphasis on advantages, it takes over the whole show and becomes more convoluted. Fans want the show to have more faith in its players to bring the drama and interesting storylines, rather than manufacturing it through overpowered advantages.
Season 41 did not have a secondary title or theme, like previous seasons called Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty or Survivor: Tocantins. Survivor is known for its iconic theme song that plays in the opening sequence and shows each player, and many fans missed that when CBS decided against it in season 41. Many fans are hoping to see it make a return in season 42. To make Survivor season 42 great, it needs to continue with the always-intense challenges that test all different skill sets, whether it be puzzles, endurance, or strength challenges.
Fans of Survivor were confused by the editing of season 41 as well, since winner Erika Casupanan got little screen time and was called a strategic threat by the jury, but fans did not get to see a lot of that. Instead, other players like Xander Hastings seemed like the clear frontrunner to win it all, yet did not receive a single vote. Survivor fans love that all different strategies have won the game, whether it was players staying under the radar, dominating immunity challenges or playing a great social game, and fans want to see more of that in this next season.