Survivor: Nicaragua – Younger vs Older

Survivor begins its 21st season in Nicaragua and the one thing that stands out to me is just how basically unchanged the show is since its debut. Yes, people have certainly become more savvy to how the game is played, but the basic structure is still there and that’s refreshing. You hate when a show feels the need to change things up to keep it fresh, usually ruining what made the show good in the first place and quickly driving viewers away. The show is nowhere near as watched as it was in its heyday but it’s still consistently held on to its time slot over the past ten years.

The show has taken some flak in recent years for the lack of skill it took to find a hidden immunity idol. Russell Hantz pretty much made a mockery of the whole concept over the course of his two seasons and the producers wisely chose to alter the clues to finding the idol. When members of the La Flor tribe, made up of under 30s, found the first clue they had no idea how to decipher the picture puzzle and didn’t even bother to go looking for it. I’d say that was probably a good move on their part, and choosing not to share the information with the rest of the tribe was also smart because first impressions are one thing but who do you trust after two days?

Of course, that issue of trust didn’t work out so well for Holly and Wendy. Holly, for some reason, just honed in on Wendy, decided she was a good person and formed an alliance, shook hands, promised loyalty … and promptly regretted her actions. Coach Jimmy Johnson only made matters worse when he told Holly that Wendy was one of the two weakest players in the tribe including himself. But the 40 and older tribe, Espada, had to decide between the two weak players — the coach, who they all felt would just be handed the million or the woman that connected with no one.

Now you would think that after 21 seasons, people would be a little familiar with Survivor and how things work. You know that once you get to Tribal Council, you give short, concise answers and speak only when spoken to (and try to keep the eye rolling to a minimum because Jeff will call you out). The Espada tribe really seemed to be leaning towards voting out Jimmy Johnson, but just as Jeff was about to send the first member to cast a vote, Wendy decided that it was time to reveal her chatty side. I thought that was going to quit, but she just went on and on with her resumé and all I could think was “shut up already, you’re digging your own grave.”  And she did. Later, girl.

It’s comforting to know that not much has changed about Survivor, and even after all these years it is still a gripping and exciting game that rarely loses its footing. And when it does, some twist comes along to liven things up again. This season’s big twist is the Medallion of Power that so far has been given away (huh?) and not used to help win a physical challenge (what!). It’s going to be interesting to see how and when this comes into play and how it will ultimately affect the game. For now, we’ll just keep watching to see who makes the big moves to forward themselves in the game. My favorite at the moment is Espada’s Jane simply because she practiced for two months to learn how to make fire and succeeded after only a short time at camp. Go Jane!

Clacked by Chuck Duncan
on Sep 16, 2010 @ 08:41 EST5EDT