February 12, 2013

Outwit. Outplay. Outlast.

I am very excited for the return of Survivor. I admit openly that this is a reality show I watch consistently. Well, I watched consistently for about the first six seasons, then watched sporadically until Season 23: South Pacific. I've been a faithful fan since then, biting my nails until Jeff lets us know that the tribe has spoken. This, the original reality competition show, born 13 years and 25 seasons ago, is a sociological experiment that fascinates me. It puts real people in unreal situations that nonetheless bring out very real aspects of the human condition. 

CBS seems a little confused about the nature of this year's pool of contestants. This preview claims that Survivor: Caramoan will bring back "some of the most controversial castaways to ever play the game," and yet the subtitle of this season is "Fans vs. Favorites."


I'll guess we'll see. Frankly, I don't care what they call it. I'll watch. So, whatever. 

It's set to be quite the cast. I'm hoping this season doesn't bring out the worst in two of my favorites - Malcolm from last season and Cochran from South Pacific. Dawn from South Pacific is really fantastic. I don't imagine there's a bad side of her to bring out. And with the "fans," who knows what we'll find?

Before the premiere tomorrow, I wanted to say a word about reality shows. (I mentioned this briefly when I talked about the mockumentary nature of The Office in this post.) The camera, which stands for the producers, the directors, and indeed all the staff of a show like  Survivor, is itself a character. It changes the plot by what it chooses to capture and show to the audience. I want to be sure I acknowledge that, lest you think I didn't realize the unreality of reality TV. All I'm saying is that it makes it no less entertaining. And when we watch Survivor this season, we'll be entertained. I'm sure of it. 

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