Survivor, hosted by Jeff Probst, was created in 2000 and follows 16-20 very regular people over the course of 39 days as they compete for $1 million. Essentially, the real competition is between manipulation skills, mental strength, and some physical strength. But what is so fascinating about watching this social experiment is seeing human nature and the different dynamics of interaction that shine through this show with the motivation of a life-changing amount of money.
The viewer watches as contestants sacrifice their morals over, and over again. Players make empty promises swearing on their wives, kids, parents' graves, etc., build fake romances to belittle emotion for their own greed, and analyze each other’s classes and demographics strategically to form performative connections. As a viewer, Survivor teaches us about the types of personas and backgrounds that exist and how to be sensitive to others, we can see real personalities (leaders and followers) from a distance as a niche lens to help interpret culture. Additionally, the show preaches this saying, supposedly only to the contextual extent of the show; although, it is deeply reflective of the truth that “perception is reality.”
But really, I am writing this blog post because of the season I am currently watching, Season 39. At only 10/15 episodes in, the season has unintentionally enlightened its audience with some extensive bigger-than-the-game issues.
In episode 6, a situation arises where a white man, Jack Nichting, accidentally tells a black man, Jamal Shipman, to use his “durag”, where he meant to refer to his Survivor buff that every player traditionally wears. This innocent slip-up was representational of a system that affects young minds subconsciously and shifts certain perceptions of African American men around a “thug” image. TV typically addresses outward racism, but very rarely can successfully encapture the way implicit biases affect us without us knowing it.
Additionally, the two men settled the situation in a mature and educational conversation that I feel would be beneficial for any individual open to growth to watch. It opens eyes not only to the perspective of both sides invested in this incident and its parallels but also to how to handle it in a respectful, open-minded manner.
Later on, in episode 9, a group of young women calls attention to an older man who is making them feel uncomfortable by touching them unwantedly throughout the season. The lines of handling the instances become blurry when intertwined with the Strategy of Survivor, leading many men and women to disagree on the validity and intent of the accusations. The conversation to follow reveals many real-world tendencies that consistently recur when discussing a woman’s story with the emergence of the saying,
“If this were happening, I would’ve known about it.”
However, the upsetting truth is that this is a debilitating and offensive sentence to say in this state of affairs, and the episode functions as a lesson to listening to one’s experience without judgment. Women can come forward about their experiences when they feel comfortable to do so, in this case, after a group discussion and realization of similarities.
Then, one of the contestants has the courage to call out the worshipped, hero to some, Jeff Probst (not to mention a white man in power), and address the fact that he failed to commend or address the success of two African American individuals for wearing the immunity necklace in a row, making Survivor history. This young female set an amazing example to inspire others in finding their voice. The strength was also previously demonstrated by another young female who previously called awareness to the offensiveness and double standards of men to assume women make their alliances only on the basis of "girl power".
The original perception of Survivor may seem light-hearted and primitive; however, this post could continue extensively about the underlying lessons it presents about humans, as well as some mistakes the show makes. If life imitates art, then Survivor might be close to a Van Gogh.
This is a really interesting lens to view Survivor through. I’ve never sat through a whole season of the show, but from the episodes I have seen here and there, I have been amazed with how openly people say one thing and then do the other, all to improve their chances at winning 1 million dollars. I definitely think it shines a light on human nature in competitive environments, and it is really comforting to know that people are calling out problematic behavior and attempting to make the environment a better, more equitable place. I definitely think the courage from season 39 sets a positive example for viewers and I am interested in watching it now.