Survivor has been on the air for over 20 years. The game has changed in numerous ways in that time, both on gameplay, technological, and social levels. The Survivor of the early 2000s looks a lot different from the Survivor of the late 2010s, both literally and figuratively.
As a result, going back to the early days of Survivor may prove a difficult challenge for some. The show is still great, but many things about the early seasons have aged poorly. These aren't insurmountable flaws by any means, but they can't help but date the show and place it squarely in the early 2000s.
Visual Quality
Survivor started in 2000 - well before the era of high definition. In fact, Survivor didn't make the transition to HD until Gabon - the 17th season of the show. That means that the first 16 seasons of the show are displayed in that typically fuzzy and dull 480p goodness of early 2000s television.
Gabon is not only one of the most underrated seasons of Survivor, but it helped transition Survivor into the modern era. Everything pre-Gabon looks like a relic of its time.
Lack Of Strategy
Going from modern Survivor to old school Survivor - or vice versa - makes for major whiplash. It's astounding how little strategy is present in the first couple seasons of the show. Richard Hatch changed the way Survivor was played by introducing alliances, but that is primitive strategy that goes without saying today.
The people who go home are typically the ones who perform poorly in challenges or who don't help out around camp. There is little - if any - strategy to speak of in the early seasons, so those looking for the thrills of modern Survivor will find themselves seriously misplaced here.
Boring Challenges
Early Survivor is also plagued by some particularly boring challenges. As the budget ramped up, so too did the extravagance of the challenges. Nowadays, a typical Survivor challenge includes some sort of endurance thing combined with a strength aspect and a puzzle.
Back then, a challenge would consist of lighting beacons with a torch, or eating something gross like a live beetle. Back then, those challenges were exciting. But they seem positively quaint when compared to the challenges of modern Survivor.
Slow Pace
It's ironic. Nowadays, fans think that Survivor needs a reinvention by returning to the slow pace of the older seasons. But it's the fast pace of the newer seasons that helped modern Survivor become so popular.
Just when the show was suffering from cultural boredom, seasons like Samoa, Heroes vs. Villains, and Cagayan came along and re-invigorated interest with their fast-paced, strategy-heavy gameplay. Early seasons have an extraordinarily slow pace and place much of their emphasis on everyday camp life. Still great TV, but certainly a different kind of TV.
Treatment Of Women
It's hard to say, but early seasons of Survivor (and even modern ones!) can make for difficult viewing owing to the horrible treatment of women. Some seasons (The Amazon) border on misogynistic with slimy and unlikable male players, and players weren't shy about speaking in a sexist manner.
Female contestants were often seen as inferior in challenges, and some players couldn't help but comment on how "hot" they were. And that's not even getting into the treatment of Sue Hawk on All Stars, which is easily one of Survivor's biggest controversies.
Technology
It's hilarious watching old seasons of Survivor and seeing what sort of "cutting edge technology" they bring onto the show. It's not often that tech gets brought up, as the contestants aren't allowed it. But sometimes a car will be brought in as a reward, or a player will receive a loved one's message on a cell phone.
This type of stuff hilariously dates the early seasons of the show, with boxy 2000s cars being touted as the latest and greatest and small flip phones with horrific camera quality.
Nasty Language
Language is one of those things that evolve with the times, and words that were commonplace just 15 or 20 years ago seem horrifically outdated today. Survivor is a reality show, so it accurately depicts people in their everyday lives (or as close to their everyday lives as Survivor allows).
Some players of early seasons use language that is considered wickedly offensive today, complete with many nasty slurs. Even if it's done in a joking manner, it comes across as cringey and badly outdated.
Most Of The Amazon
The Amazon was well received at the time, but it is arguably the most dated season of Survivor. It combines everything that is socially outdated about early Survivor into one awkward package.
The worst part is its awkward treatment of women, with production emphasizing showmances and most of the males partaking in open locker room talk. They can't help but comment on how hot the women are, and Rob Cesternino makes some particularly outdated comments (like calling the women "the camp of the vagina monologues").
Hardcore Survival Aspects
Early Survivor places a much larger emphasis on the survival elements. While this makes for very entertaining television (and helped Survivor stand out from other reality shows), it also has many cons.
The early seasons (particularly Africa) are plagued by complacent and exhausted players suffering from severe hunger and dehydration. Early Survivor may have more "characters" than recent Survivor, but these characters were often grumpy, exhausted, or any combination of the two. It could often prove boring.
Jeff's Awkward Hosting
Jeff Probst is a great host, but it took him a while to come into his own. While the first couple seasons are a bit of a learning experience for the man, Borneo in particular is plagued by awkward hosting. Jeff has no idea what he is doing, and it makes for exceptionally awkward viewing.
He doesn't know the contestants' names ("You, you're up"), he reads the votes without confidence or any dramatic inflection, and he often stumbles over the iconic "the tribe has spoken." That, and the tribals are filled with silly questions like "So, are you guys hungry?" rather than anything substantial or interesting.