Survivor Roundtable Part I
By BOP Staff
April 17, 2013
And this is where the show needs to look at itself. When this season started, there were a lot of comments (even from Probst) about how there weren't enough compelling castaways - and in particular, compelling women players - who audiences wanted to see again. But the reason we don't have enough compelling castaways that we want to see brought back on future seasons is exactly because of the stereotype/larger than life casting.
Kim Hollis: I would definitely echo Ben's comments that the casting is a huge problem and has been for a couple of seasons now. Last season, I think it managed to get interesting *in spite* of mostly blah and uninteresting casting. They were just lucky enough to have Malcolm (who was awesome) and Denise in an underdog position, which allowed people to root for them all the way to Denise's ultimate victory.
This year, though, they brought back a bunch of "Favorites" that for the most part, no one wanted to see again. Malcolm is great, and I'd even watch him if they cast him again, but he's it. I like Dawn but I don't really enjoy watching her play Survivor because I don't think she enjoys the game at all. The big issue for me is that they keep on bringing back the Hantzes and the Phillips and the Coaches of the game. I never want to see *any* of them again. Ever.
Then again, I'm probably a huge hypocrite because I loved Boston Rob's final season.
Anyway, I think this season has been *terribly* disappointing. None of the fans are memorable at all, other than perhaps Reynold, and that's only because he's such a ginormous doofus that I love reading what Ben has to say about him in the recaps. I didn't even think the Corinne blindside was that great, because it arose from the terrible gameplay that pervades this season. The only really great moment in the show came last week when Malcolm made someone give him their immunity idol. Even if he doesn't win (and he's pretty much doomed barring something weird), that was awesome. One great moment doesn't make the season worthwhile, though.
David Mumpower: I disagree with Jim that it's unfair to judge a season before it's over. No matter what happens next, the current season of Survivor has been a disaster. I can demonstrate my point statistically. The average episode of Survivor: Caramoan has received 9.41 million viewers. There was only one episode last season that managed fewer than 9.82 million viewers. Survivor: Philippines averaged 10.35 million viewers. We are down almost a million viewers in a single season. Yes, television ratings are in decline but they certainly are not falling that fast. Even the most ardent of Survivor fans tuned out from the start this season. The only logical explanation is the cast.
Survivor has been dancing too close to the fire for a while now. A lot of the problem is Boston Rob's fault even though it's a credit to him rather than an insult. He became to a large extent the face of Survivor. In the process, the producers of the show appreciated the value that name recognition added to the ratings as well as the publicity. "Here are a bunch of strangers" is less appealing than "Here are a few strangers and a few people you know." In adhering to this philosophy, the show has gone horribly awry. And yes, the breaking point was a Hantz.
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