Survivor begins its 44th season

With over 800 arduous challenges, and 662 contestants throughout all the 44 seasons, Survivor has had over 5.37 million viewers and is a very welcoming and great family friendly show. The chosen few have been “castaway” to the Mamanuca Islands of Fiji to compete in physical and mental challenges for a grand prize of one million dollars! The show is very enjoyable to watch at 8:00 pm every wednesday night on CBS. 

The game:

 Just as a precaution to explain how the game works, the explanation will be based on the most recent seasons. Survivor as a game has changed a lot over the years and many of the original ways of the game are different. The game is simple, and yet very complex at the same time. It all starts off with 18 chosen people who arrive by boat. To win the one million-dollar prize, you need to be strong, not just physically but mentally as well. The game is built on relationships and bonds that you build with your tribe mates, because they are the ones holding the pen when it’s time to vote someone off. Throughout the span of 26 days, each day there will be a challenge that the tribes will have to compete in. The losing tribe goes to tribal council that very night to vote one of their teammates off the tribe. This makes the game very difficult for some players because of the strong bonds that they make with each other, but it also makes the game more interesting for the viewers. Like previously stated, Survivor starts off with 18 people who then get divided into three tribes of six, all with different colors, names, and buffs. Buffs are like the symbols of your tribe, a scarf like bandana that you can wear to represent yourselves in challenges. As for the colors and names, the colors are chosen at random and the names of the tribes are mainly based off of the local language, history, or culture of the islands. After everyone has briefly met their teams and now wait on the sands of Fiji, Jeff introduces the challenge. The game starts as quickly as the first couple minutes of the show, the tribes race against each other in a battle of physical and mental strength to gain supplies for their new camps. The “camps” are where the tribes will be staying for the remainder of the game, each camp is located on an undisclosed island away from other tribes. The tribes are expected to build a shelter as a team and get to know each other throughout the 26 days.

Immunity idols/ Advantages:

Now this is when the game gets interesting. Throughout the game, deep in the jungle there are hidden advantages / Immunity idols, that can supposedly help players in their pursuit to win the game, but as a new century of survivor has dawned upon the viewers, we can see that more and more advantages have twisted tasks that players have to complete in order to unlock the advantage, or the advantage in itself is not what it seems. Immunity idols are different from advantages though. They are hidden in the jungle around the tribal camps, but they only give the finder one thing when found: immunity at tribal council. Advantages range from immunity, extra vote, steal a vote, and the ability to steal an idol from an opposing tribe. You must wait until tribal council to play your idol if you have one; before Jeff Probst reads the tallied votes of the tribe, he asks players the question, “If anyone has a hidden immunity idol or advantage and you want to play it now would be the time to do so.” The results from the idols and advantages being played can sometimes turn the results of the entire episode on its head. Blindsides and backstabs are always the first topic of discussion, as the tribe makes their way back to camp, with one less person in the bamboo shelter. 

As the sun rises and the challenges get harder, some bonds become weaker but some become stronger, and with season forty four already having four new episodes out, with lots of tricky game play and conniving individuals, this season like others, will be interesting.