When it comes to the 2026 TV schedule, I decided to do something a little different recently. and watch a legendary show I’d never seen before: Survivor…. starting at Season 50. Was it a crazy idea? Maybe, but I had a blast watching it, and I need to share my main thoughts about it after watching the finale.
I Think I Started At The Right Place…
When I first started the season, I became overwhelmed at first about starting here. There was a whole lot of talk about how legendary each player is in their own right, and mentions of their past seasons without having much context. However, as the season went on, I found it quite fun to see each of them interact in my ignorance of their pasts. It’s actually not unlike how I started watching The Traitors without knowing most of the contestants, and still got hooked.
I don’t regret this introduction to players because when I decide to go back and watch one of the previous seasons, I’ll be working my way backwards. I’m definitely already looking at our list of best Survivor seasons with the intention of putting another one on next. If I had just started from the beginning before watching Season 50, it would have taken me years… and I don’t think I would have ever watched it in real time as I did for Survivor 50.
But, I Immediately Want To Watch A Throwback Season
While I stand by my decision to watch Survivor for the first time over twenty-five years into its run, I absolutely need to go back now and see what the show used to be at the beginning, before it became the show it is today. I’ve heard from other fans that the show has gotten softer as it's gone on, and I need to see its origins in the 2000s and 2010s.
I know that back in the day, it focused more on authentic survival on an island and contestants dealing with living in nature for 39 days, rather than it happening across 25 days as it is now. Also, I'm so curious what the show is like without things like immunity idols, big twists and so forth.
I Like The Complexity Of The Game
I think the reason any of us watch a show like Survivor is that it’s fun to see people put in odd situations and how a range of personalities deal with it. From the distance of not being stuck on an island and competing with others for $1 million, it’s entertaining to see how things play out and what drama ensues. More than any other competition series I’ve watched, I really liked how playing the game requires balancing several types of skills that not everyone is proficient in at the same level.
Some people could skate by on a good social game, while others would prove their worthiness through physical feats. Others were just lucky! I can imagine it would be a very frustrating machine to be in the middle of as a player, but it sure keeps your attention as a viewer and is definitely very unpredictable.
Though, I Had Big Problems With The Challenges
While I get that the challenges are key to Survivor, I thought they got rather redundant after a while. I particularly didn’t like that a lot of them had many of the same elements to them, and relied mostly on physical strength, especially since quite a few of the same players kept winning over and over. Has it always been like this, or was this a flaw of Survivor 50? I'm not sure, but it was a big gripe for me.
Also, how come there were so many puzzles? It felt like every challenge ended with an upright puzzle, and I wish the producers had been a bit more creative. Now, I did really like the solo/exile island challenges because they were each very different and had me on the edge of my seat when they were played.
The Tribals Were Boring To Me Until They Weren’t
Early on, I felt like I wanted to skip through the tribals because boy, did they drag. The segment felt like a lot of rehearsed and empty words from the contestants that made me want to tune out until the actual vote happened. But, as the competition got tighter, tribal became a lot more entertaining to watch. I love the social experiment element of reality shows like this, and seeing how people swayed others to vote someone off the island is really intriguing to me, especially when there were idols and twists in play.
All The Celebrity And Branding Tie-Ins Were Hilarious
Something about Survivor 50 that I have to assume has become more prominent over the years is all the branding tie-ins and celebrity mentions. I know I’m not the only one who found them to be very tacky, random and disingenuous. (Heck, Billie Eilish seemed to even roll her eyes at her own idol).
As someone who works in journalism in the modern age, I totally get the need for diverse revenue streams nowadays, but there’s got to be a better way to implement them in the show. I mean, I read that the Zac Brown episode was the lowest-rated episode ever, and I’m not surprised because it just felt so out of place.
I Want Cirie In Every Season Ever
Finally, I just need to gush about Cirie Fields, because I totally get why everyone was calling her the best to do it left and right. I had seen her win on The Traitors with an expert-level social game before this, and it was worth the price of my Wednesday nights to see her play on this landmark season.
I definitely want to seek out more of her seasons and check out other all-time greats (like Boston Rob and Parvati Shallow) because when someone is as good as Cirie is, it feels like you’re watching someone complete a social magic trick. I’m bummed her game was cut short, but even so, seeing her on Survivor was incredible to watch play out. You can definitely count me as a Survivor fan after seeing my first season, but I have a lot of catching up to do!
