I only became a fan of the show ‘Survivor’ over the past few years. I wanted nothing to do with it for the first decade of its existence. In fact, if it wasn’t for the PVR and On-Demand trend with cable companies, I still wouldn’t be watching it. I recall getting so annoyed not so long ago when friends would refuse to go out or make plans on ‘Survivor Night’.
The fact is, as with any reality show, you could fit each one hour episode into a 20 minute slot. There is so much review and replaying of what just happened just before the commercial break that there really isn’t much new content over the duration. That duplicate time, for me, leads to thoughts of what would improve the show and make it more enjoyable for me.
Maybe, just maybe, CBS will pick up the following concept. Last year, I did an article on my 8 ideas that would improve The Amazing Race. So far, they haven’t taken my advice…
Survivor Nomad
As physically demanding as the show is on its contestants, there could always be more. That’s why I came up with the concept of the nomadic experience. In a nutshell, the tribe that finishes last in the immunity challenge goes to tribal council, votes off their undesirable then heads back to camp. Normally, they go back and discuss their decision, argue a bit then go to sleep.
In Survivor Nomad, the losing tribe heads back from tribal council and immediately begins tearing down camp for the journey to their new camp. In my mind, I see as many vacant camps as occupied ones. For example, if there are three tribes, then there are three vacant camps. The losing tribe would have to move to the furthest vacant camp from their own. Ultimately, I would like to see a distance of around 10km (6 miles) but it depends on how much land CBS can secure.
At the start of the season, each team would be given shelter in form of a crude traditional nomadic tent, made of just, say, canvas and wooden poles. This is a break from Survivor tradition as typically tribes have to make their shelters from scratch.
However, these traditional shelters will not be light, especially when covering a distance over some uneven land when already physically exhausted. Tribes would only be allowed one trip between old camp and new camp. This means they would only be able to take what they can carry in one load.
This would create a situation where the tribe would quickly have to decide what to take and what to leave behind. This would also create a situation where they would have to decide what to do with items that they decide to leave behind. Do they stash it in a secret spot, in case they are returned to that camp after losing a future immunity challenge? Do they simply destroy it so that it is useless to any other tribe that may move in in the future? Is there a situation where they actually decide to ditch the shelter and make one from scratch at the new site? Perhaps food, water and fire wood are more important in the immediate future.
Of course, there’s the inevitable when tribes are reduced from three to two and two to one. The move down to two tribes doesn’t change anything but the move to a single tribe does. At this point, does a single player get reduced to the nomad role, similar to ‘Redemption Island’ in past seasons?
Where would Survivor Nomad take place? It would be nice to see it in a traditional desert setting. However, it would work well in the more popular tropical setting – the travel between camps would be much more physically strenuous because of climate and terrain.
A Bit About Survivor
Survivor is currently in its 30th ‘season’. The show first aired May 31, 2000 and typically there are two ‘seasons’ in a single calendar year. Survivor has been hosted from the beginning by Jeff Probst. Reality TV mogul Mark Burnett is a major player. Burnett won early success with Eco-Challenge, which sort of morphed into the Survivor concept. His other babies include The Apprentice, The Voice, Shark Tank and others.
The current season is dubbed ‘Worlds Apart’ and started with three tribes. The tribes were divided by White Collar, Blue Collar and No Collar. There were six players in each of the three tribes to begin with. This season takes place near San Juan Del Sur in Nicaragua. The location was also the scene of season 29.
Other Concepts
If I could get a message through to the folks that run this show, I would tell them to please stop doing anything that pits loved ones against each other. The drama (melodrama) created does not actually tug at the viewers hearts – it’s just simply annoying.
So, what would I like to see (besides Survivor Nomad)?
Survivor Language Barrier: Season starts with three tribes. Each tribe has six players. Each tribe speaks a different mother tongue than the others. For example, Spanish vs. German vs. English. The players would have to be certified non-bilingual for the concept to work. The real magic comes when the tribes merge…
Survivor War of the Worlds: Each tribe is made up of military from different countries. Once again, the magic would be when the tribes merge and the soldiers from different countries would have to work together. Would this be considered treason??
Survivor Heroes: Police vs. Fire vs. Paramedic vs. Military. Heroes, yes. Clash of egos when tribes merge – absolutely!
Survivor Jocks: NFL vs. MLB vs. NBA vs. NHL. Although, it would be no contest with the hockey players being much tougher, stronger and smarter than the other sports…
