Defining the Eras of Survivor
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- Опубликовано: 26 ноя 2019
- 40 seasons and counting, 20 years and hundreds of players and episodes... here's how I define the eras of Survivor.
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BF: every season before Fabio
F: the season with Fabio
AF: every season after Fabio
fabios season was the first one i ever watched
The only thing that's important
LMAO this this the best
fabios my uncles friend
Imma pee in the pool very quick
Made this before watching the video
Old School (1-5): Survivor’s earliest seasons focus heavily on actual survival and character building. Lying and scheming is more frowned upon and not readily accepted yet. Hatch employs alliance strategy to be a blueprint for future strategic use and alliances are seen as acceptable from there on out. Rules are basic and the game is as simple as “voting someone off the island."
Formative Years (6-12): Strategy becomes more and more vital. Revolutionaries like Rob C and Cirie add to precedent of more emotionally detached, numbers based gameplay. Alliances can be slightly more fluid. Boston Rob and Stephanie employ extreme side of emotional detachment based strategy and are chastised. Game is getting cutthroat but not TOO cutthroat on average. Prototype of modern-day idol introduced in Guatemala.
Golden Age (13-20): Aside from Fiji, each season is anywhere from generally well-received nowadays to seen as prime Survivor viewing (China, Micronesia, and HvV specifically). The idol we know today is implemented. Final 3 becomes the general norm. HvV acts as a “finale” of sorts to a string of generally beloved seasons. Parvati becomes a staple for the social and strategic game that many women wish to emulate, while Russell Hantz’s aggressive gameplay strikes debate on how to play a winning game.
Dark Age (21-26): A string of generally panned seasons aside from Philippines. Redemption Island as a twist flatlines and is disliked by most. Over the top, unlikable characters begin to take more of the edit from other players. Weak and boring casting of returnees in Redemption Island, South Pacific, and Caramoan. Gameplay has finally reached a level of cutthroat that is accepted, but entertainment is down overall.
Big Moves™ (27-33): While strategy has taken much more precedent than it ever has before, Ciera Eastin in BvW becomes the poster child (arguably by Probst) for making “big moves” by voting out her own mother and forcing rocks for the first time since the fourth season. Aggressive gameplay is revved up and the game-bots take more of the spotlight. Strategy is key and the need to stay and dominate on this level becomes so much so that ten people from the cast of MvGX go to rocks just six seasons after BvW. Cambodia normalizes the “voting bloc."
Fast Strategy (34-38) The idea of big moves as well as the now popularized “resumé” take precedent over much of the show entirely. Much of the screen time is now dedicated solely to fast-paced strategy. The show has almost entirely drifted away from the aspect of physical survival in the wilderness. Floating between alliances becomes more prevalent than ever before. Stabbing anyone in the back has 100% become fair game. Similar era to the last except the mental chess playing has grown even more.
Identity Crisis? (38-? … 38 overlapping isn’t a typo because I think it’s so fresh that this is a gray area): Survivor seems to move back more into sociocultural topics. Not only that, but the introduction of the Edge of Extinction twist bends what is viewed as the standard format in a way that’s never been seen - receiving mixed reviews but mostly criticism. Seasons 38 and 39 seem to be trying to figure out where Survivor goes from here both twist-wise as well as how to handle and edit culturally important issues.
*If anyone read all the way through then thanks a bunch
Andrew Gentile I actually really liked your breakdown. Maybe better than Perediams lol
Yeah i kinda like this better...sorry
Absolutely amazing breakdown here. 👌
can producers please stop with social justice warriorism?
Uhh.. there's one problem here! I loved Fiji! Earl is one of my favorite winner's, Yaw Man is one of my favorite of probably the most robbed contestants ever and dreams is kind of the original Russel.
i actually want another heroes vs villains lmao
ammar hakeem Heroes vs Villians 2, and I see Parvati and Rob as heroes
Greg 2.0 I feel like Parvati being a villain makes her more badass.
@@ninjadiaries what??? No
@@micronesias.4383 Parvati was actually suppose to be a hero and Candice a villain but the producers realized that the Black Widow Brigade minus Natalie B wouldve all been on the same starting tribe so they switched Parv and Candice
Me to
This might be the era where everyone complains about how much they liked the old ways better.
“i am very curious to see where we are this time next year in 2020........” this aged like milk
One weird note: I like to call everything from season 30 to present, the Post-Tony era, since it was clear that his method of playing heavily influenced a lot of other players strategies from then on even to the point that he gets referenced in worlds apart. True game changer that man is.
I consider that a sub era
Tony is an Archetype which was created by Russel so you may as well call it Post- Russel era.
@@heorldofrock he took Russels strategy and evolved it
StickTrickDominoDude Worlds Apart and Kaoh Rong don’t fit in this current era. I would say Cambodia started the new era since it’s technically the 32nd season. Kaoh Rong was filmed before it.
I believe it was David and his voting blocks and live tribals that really set an era, since players don't do much "kill everyone in that alliance" mindset and has been going for smarter moves that'll benefit them alone.
I would like to see them go back to making immunity idols harder to find. Sorry a player shouldn't just stumble on a idol walking down a trail seeing a bit of purple in a tree. They should have to earn it through solving a riddle or completing a difficult challenge.
One idea I have would be to have a challenge where the winner gets a idol, naturally nobody else would know who won though, they'd just know someone did. Knowing for a fact someone has a idol but having no clue who earned it could cause some pretty good paranoia
Yes but that should be the only idol in the game
Or do like a hidden dig site like archaeologists to find it. Nothing that sticks out like a sore thumb. Just underneath the soil at an exact, non-landmarky location.
absolutely. idols everywhere...and it seems They are placed and found by certain people at certain times....I think We all know it to some extent, the control and manipulation by the Game/Owners
its looks like the budget has been cut
@@miragexl007 no....there's just so many idols that there were some that weren't even found by the contestants!!!! So if you hide so many there are bound to be contestants, that if they know what to look for they will find so many idols.
I’m 17 and the first season I watched was Cagayan. I vividly remember Tony’s cutthroat gameplay and big moves. I just started watching the first season to see what it was like and geez there is such an astronomical difference. Ppl actually care abt each other?! 😂
my first season was Kaoh Rong, notable for the most medical emergencies of any season of Survivor. I thought Survivor was super hard core, and it took me several seasons to realize that three players going down with heatstroke during a challenge was not the norm.
@@rokeYouuerSame! I think that starting with a season like Kaoh Rong or Cagayan might ruin a person’s survivor appetite, just because of how fast paced and good at playing the cast was. Better seasons to start with are earlier ones, where it is much less intense and the casting isn’t quite as much filled with wildcards
I just wish they would do away with hidden idols for a season. No advantages either. 39 days, win your immunity or you're at risk. No returning, no 2nd chance. Win or go home.
JonasDash somewhat agree just not as many hidden immunity idols. Before it was a big deal if someone found one and it would take a few days to figure out all the clues without getting caught
daily optional immunity challenges
When I heard Ethan say he had no idols in his day...i was like wooow
I would watch this completely
I think a lot of people are wanting a "back to basics" season. I think it would be hilarious to not tell the castaways that there are no idols at all so everyone is constantly looking for them and being paranoid on who has them.
The dark age era also liked to have over the top “insane” contestants eg Naonka, Phillip, Brandon, Colton, Abi Maria, and Caramoan topped it off with half the cast losing their minds. We have seen some eccentric characters since (eg Noura, Angelina) but they edit them with some game understanding unlike the whack jobs from the dark era.
Yeah, and they literally brought back 4 of them
Didn’t even think of this. Good catch!
You forgot Alicia tho
I think Coach was the first whack job in s18 and he inspired them to have a whack job every season for a while until they went overboard with Caramoan having multiple whack jobs and meltdowns. Blood vs Water was very refreshing having a very down to Earth cast.
Aaron Bentley honestly Coach was a game changer, any season with coach in it was gunna be entertaining and the producers knew that , I wouldn’t be shocked if they bring him back again
gimmie a season with no idols or advantages and new players duking it out for 5 million dollars
That’s boring, people want idols, survivor just uses them too often
Raven5787656 Not with a good cast
@@pointgod8730 Yeah but they could keep a LITTLE bit of idols.
Probably not gonna happen but if you want a good season without any advantages watch pearl islands
@@redturtle234xd5 Well kinda (outcast twist but technically not an advantage)
I’m hoping after season 40, they will revert back to classic survivor. A back to basics season.
Peyton Cantrell I don’t think it’s happening ever Matt Van Wagenan said himself it is not going to happen
S40 definitely should've brought Survivor into a new era but they fucked all the goodwill and it will definitely be continuing the S31/33+ era.
I wish, but based on what they're doing for season 40 it seems like they're going to continue down their current path
And three episodes in, all the complaints that nothing's happening. Nope.
Nolan Russell is it true they are doing all winners for 40
Just saying
I would just divide the Era's by quality of Audio and Camera.
Man has it improved over the years
Mr Fancy Dragon I’m watching survivor for the first time ever. I’m on Fiji and I’m so close to the first HD season I can taste it
Mr Fancy Dragon is it weird to say i like the old quality way better
@@dianeburtulato Nah, some people like the old quality. The nostalgic feel to it is always nice
I just finished watching Thailand again, holy crap. watching the challenges compared to now is insane.
one of the challenges was literally just a boat race around an island.
Funny how that last line, “the continent may have changed, but the game is still the same” is quite the opposite now.
“The location is still the same, but the game will always change” - that’s the tag now.
Heres two things that sets apart most of the older eras and they are Jeffs hats and his chopper exits!
As well as the end of Russels hat
yup! i exactly agree with this. for me:
S1-S8: Old School Era
S9-S14: Experimental Era
S15-S20: Golden Era
S21-S26: Dark Age
S27-S32: Big Moves Era
S33-S38: Advantages Era
Definitely think S39 could be the start of the “Political” or “Social Awareness” Era if we see this season’s theme continue.
I feel like that would start with S34, Game Changers. Ever since the Zeke/Varner incident Survivor has been trying to force political and social awareness into the dialogues of their episodes more than ever.
Giuliano Avella or game Changers is the season from the previous era that indicated what was to come. Like Phillipines hinting at the Renaissance Era, Gabon foreshadowing the messy dark era, Cambodia setting up the Advantageddon Era, there’s one for each era.
Social Awareness Era sounds right.
Barf
ew
It's so surreal that it's been on for almost 2 decades
Bradley Boy longer than that
Bradley Boy like 4 decades
You’re Wrong. Ummmmmm no it’s been two decades
Prime of Survivor gameplay were Season’s 12- 20. Perfect balance of Strategic gameplay, battling the environment, and physical non stationary challenges. Idols actually felt special.
my favorite era is the final one, season 53 through to 60, with season 55 in Timbuktu being a standout
but sending it to Siberia in Season 58 was a mistake when the cast nearly froze to death even though it was filmed in summer
also Season 57 Tahiti when Victor went home 10th with 4 idols in his pocket was a highlight to me
I still can’t believe in season 56 when everyone managed to find an idol which resulted in Jeff being voted out
Adding a second host in season 57 was a bad idea
@@ima2020presidentcandidate I know plot twist
YO I DIVIDED EVERY ERA THE EXACT SAME WAY YOU DID. OMFG IM HOLLERING
I actually agree with these eras and how I would organised them. I do feel with the advantage era it needs to end, with it constantly just being in Fiji and the heavy/same advantages in them, there needs to be some sort of change/evolution, but that might just be me
Here's my take:
Old School: 1-8
Transition: 9-12
Idol Evolution: 13-20
Dark Ages: 21-26
Big Movez: 27-34
Cinnamon Twists: 35-Present
Seasons 1-5 "Lets throw some people on an island and see what happens?"
At this time Survivor was a new take on reality TV and didn't really have any idas of what it was doing all they had was really two key points, Survival and A million dollars.
Seasons 6-8 Gaining a foothold.
A smaller Era for sure but still important, these seasons show Survivor realizing their large growing fanbase and tweaking the show slightly to keep it entertaining but still holding on to a lot of things from the previous five seasons, doing this they gain a strong foothold for moving forward, until they mess it up.
Seasons 9-14 Experiments Galore!
This is when Survivor decided to try adding anything to the show and see what would happen. Although this Era of Survivor may seem strange and weird at first it is crucial to Survivor as a whole with some of these experiments becoming huge parts of survivor in the future for example the idol. This era also pushed the idea of strategy a bit further into the spotlight.
Seasons 15-20 The Golden Age.
This so far is survivor's peak, each of these seasons took good charecteristics from all three previous era's to make each season feel like their own masterpieces that are similar and unique at the same time. This era heavily pushed the idea of stragey to be about equal with survival.
Seasons 21-26 The Dark Age
After Survivor gave us the best it could offer, there was nothing else that was new to offer. Therefore the offered old with returining player season after returining player season and old got old real quick. This era similarly to the experiments era experimented and gave us some good thing and some bad things.
Seasons 27-33 "whats that i hear? ITS STRATEGY!"
Who cares about survival it's about big moves, idols, advantages, voting bloc's, jumping ship, drawing rocks and all the twists and turns you can think of now! These seasons brought a remodeled version of survivor to their fans with new fresh casts and extremely smart players like Ciera, Kelly Wentworth, and plenty more.
Seasons 34-37 ''That went by quickly"
For me these seasons heavily relied on twists and strategy, and the characters and winners were forgettable (with the exception of HvHvH which was a memorable and good season to me.) And it didn't help that they felt so fast. This era is one thats alot more opinion based than the rest so sorry if it seems different.
Season 38-? The Sociocultural and Political Uprising
Recently in survivor it has been heavily based around the world around us and not the survivor world we saw this spark when Varner called out Zeke for being transgender in Game Changers this was the flame that began this era. (This era also maintains the idea of intense strategy as we see in season 39 with the removing of reward challenges entirely to make room for more strategy.)
JESUS THAT TOOK LIKE 3 HRS TO WRITE AHHHHHHHH
Agree- It sucks now that’s it’s going to be in such a political state for a while. So pissed they dug themselves in a hole
@Awesome Dylan i don’t mind the political aspect tbh. it’s kinda what survivor is about, those sociocultural and political moments are stuff we encounter in our daily lives, and survivor is supposed to be somewhat about our daily lives
Survivor is nothing like what we encounter in real life... We don’t work to survive. We don’t worry about people backstabbing us trying to get 1 million dollars... It’s a game. That’s why I don’t want politics in it-
Things should come back again:
1-Old jury management.
2-Reduce the people who are in the jury, 8 people I think is enough.
Jury management is still a thing, as evidenced by Aubrey and Dominick losing.
Will Rambo dominik i understand but i’m still confused on how the jury hated aubrey like i thought they liked her and respected her hustle to make it to the f3...
dom did good jury management tho, he just thought that laurel was more expendable than she was and that costed him, honestly if wendell isnt in the final 3 tho and the final three was laurel,dom,angela dom wins every single vote imo
They need to relocate after season 40 or it’d going to get stale
Idk for me it’s already gotten pre stale :/
They're going to relocate at some point because their contract with the government is going to end at some point. Maybe not season 41. Possibly 45.
Their moving out of Fiji in survivor 43
Theme Idea- Survivor: Throwback, or Survivor: Old School.
Like others have said no advantages, idols, nothing.
Also, I think another variable to discriminate them is the look of the show. The change in quality, the CBS logo, aspect ratio, and whatever else.
idk man, i've been watching some older seasons lately, its pretty boring. I remember thinking it was great when I watched when i was younger, but my goodness is it a slog in some of those seasons. there is no uncertaintly, so once one player takes control, its over. some seasons it was well into the merge, thailand it was like day 10. thats just boring when the result is almost inevitable and you're just hoping someone steps up but knowing they never will.
I hope season 40 goes back to the Golden era style of game.
I think season 40 will conclude the Advantageddon Era by making production regret fucking with the game so much. They’ll probably make big changes in the 40s.
Edge of Extinction will be in season 40 so unfortunately no :(
I prefered renaissance era tbh.
@@AndrewSmith-pn2qc What has Jeff or anyone else done? Theres nothing that happened that could have been ignored.
@@AndrewSmith-pn2qc that dude groped a producer. People seem to forget that that's what got him kicked off the show, not anything with a contestant, which just produced a warning. As far as Zeke goes, that was a defining moment of that season for several players. Varner basically eliminated himself without a vote, so they had to show the tribal, and it was a major moment for Sarah, who would be the eventual winner. Neither thing could have been not shown. The Jamal stuff was arguably less pivotal, but it is his most defining characteristic as a person and it was basically the entirety of his jury questioning, so adding some background to that by showing the things that went down in season makes sense. I also dont think just acknowledging the things that happen between players of different backgrounds is being a social justice warrior. You tell me what's more PC, acknowledging something happened and talking about it with the people affected, or erasing it and hiding from it because it might offend someone like yourself who has too narrow a worldview to appreciate people from different backgrounds having a voice?
Watching your vids feels like listening to my favorite professor. Thank you, Peridiam!!!
The Spencer-synced "Advantages!" head nod was perfect. Love ya, you absolute mad man!
Really glad someone is making more video essays about Survivor!!!
Wow! I remember suggesting this subject to you almost half a year ago, So stocked that you finally picked it up! You rock!
Omg I’ve been wanting something like this for so long, just never knew how to word it, the eras is perfect
Last few seasons I’ve found myself consciously excited for not only survivor on Wednesdays but also your uploads! You’ve come a long way this shit is great man!
Been watching since the first season, and this had me howling. NICE breakdown.
I'd like to see a season where there's no tribes for the first three days like after the merge, and after the first tribal there's some mechanism whereby the players form the tribes themselves.
la2stl ... Survivor Palau
@@Setheth I guess I'll have to go re-watch that cuz I totally don't remember that. Maybe I missed that season when I was in college.
la2stl they don’t go to tribal but the whole cast starts on the one beach then on day 2 or 3 they hold a school yard pick with 2 people essentially being voted out. It’s a good season I think, plenty of memorable moments, definitely worth a rewatch
I like that idea but I think it would be more interesting if the tribes were decided by random. So for example if a group got along well at the beginning, but were seperated by the tribe pick, that could lead to interesting arcs of players reuniting or betraying eachother come the merge.
thatd be neat. They start the first couple days merged as one, then they make a seemingly unrelated decision, like 8 people need to come over here. And when they do, they find out that will be their new tribe.
The worst twist of all-time is the Final Four firemaking. SERIOUSLY.
Orioles1997 Right you shouldn’t have 2 opportunity’s to save yourself especially when theirs only 4 people left
-Haves vs Have Nots in S14
-The automatic vote out of 2 Ppl on the first 2 minutes of S10 (I think, maybe 11 I can't remember)
-EoE
-S14 The Double Tribal Council of two Tribes who had to immediately go to Tribal after losing a challenge and therefore not being allowed to talk bout how to vote for.
-The Outkast Tribe in S7
-Medallion of Power
-In China when each tribe selected two people from other Tribe to go to their Tribe. This resulted in Peih Gees tribe throwing the immunity challenge so they can vote out James and Aaron who were just changed tribes out of their control and outnumbered 2-4 meaning they had no way to save themselves.
-And at some points there were people who were on the Jury despite never making the Merge meaning there was potential for them to have to vote for people that they literally never interacted with and they're not around to see the actual merge happen and how people interact with each other.
Maybe you don't agree all these are worse, but there are definitely some worse things then the Fire making. Haves and Have Nots aka the Luxury Tribe in Fiji and the automatic 2 person vote out in Season 10 (I think) are undoubtedly the two worst Twists.
Part of the Reason Chris won EoE is cuz over half of the Jury LITERALLY never met or interacted with Gavin. Why vote for someone who you don't know. They didn't even know what type of game he played other than what he said at Final Tribal.
paula 9 is a good amount for a 20 person season because that’s roughly the first half of people voted out make the pre jury and the second half make the jury.
@@_Acelol wasn't reem the only one that has never met gavin in the game? i think the reason why is they spent more time with chris at the edge, and chris giving up his immunity to go to firemaking w rick is his winning move- what dom from ghost island was too scared to just take the risk.
Really enjoying the survivor videos, keep them up
I have to agree, because I didn’t think of this topic before, I may change my mind later but for now it’s another great video by peridiam
Been waiting for this all day!
great video recapping my two decades of survivor
you did a pretty good job there! looking forward for videos about season 40
villains vs hero's was the peak for this show
Great video! This would be my exact break down of the eras
This is some pretty damn good analysis!
This was such a good concept. A good topic.
Your assessment has most to do with how producers set up the story that we watch.
Please do another video about the different periods of player strategy. Independent of the location, the twists, and the tools. The basic strategies and tactics that players have used and introduced have evolved over time.
I bet there are periods of game play.
Thank you for doing these videos. I really like your insight. :)
These videos are so well done! Thank you
I'm glad you enjoy!
Actually, love this video, I didn't think I was going to agree with the eras. but it is very true especially the dark ages. its very interesting to see the ups and downs of the seasons. I definitely have a special place in my heart for the classics through my fave seasons for sure.
This was an amazing video. Thank you.
I see the dark age seasons and my heart instantly goes to Survivor Philippines. Such a gem.
I think you're spot on with the modern ear. I started watching again at season 33, Millennials vs. Gen X.
Not a strange video. Best one you have made in a while!
I felt like your groupings were spot on. Since S40 is the all winners season with a prize of $2 million, I think it will be like the other all stars seasons and cap off this new modern era.
How I would divide it:
Classic (1-All stars) When it was a phenomenon, when the game was not as cut throat and more about the social experiment of strangers coming together but only one can win in the end.
Post-Classic (9-HvV) When there was the occasional gimmick or twist thrown in but the game was pretty much the same each time and the seasons sort of mesh together.
Dark ages (21-26) Trying to recapture the "high" that Russel brought to survivor by adding new twists, the captains, etc that mostly flopped.
Big Movez^TM era (27-Present Day) Trying to recapture the glory days by throwing a bunch of stuff at the wall, everyone is there to game strategize and win, and the focus is less on the characters and more about the game. Some parts are interesting, some are not, but it can never quite go back to the phenomenon that it was in 2000.
Awesome video!
Very interesting and entertaining!
I couldn't agree more! I love how you defined Survivor!
I think history will repeat itself because season 40 tied a nice little bow on the whole advantage era with winners at war
Great job man as always. Your videos are so professional and well done and I always enjoy them. I'm so excited for season 40. 😄😄😄😄😄
Thanks man!
@@Peridiam you're very welcome. ❤❤👊🏼👊🏼
I love that you finally did an eras video but I would like to see one that is focused more on how the game strategy of the game has evolved. There are key players who have done things that have changed game strategy over the years. For example how idols changed the game, Russel being the first player to find an idol without a clue, how they’ve evolved with returnees, the first time people got up and whispered at tribal council, etc. If we get an all winners season for 40 maybe do the video after that because an all winners season where everyone is a threat because everyone has won I believe will change how the game is played.
I just started watching survivor and got hooked on the show and your channel I’m currently on season 10 and I loved the classic era especially Australia Africa and ALLSTARS
You might be the only person in the world whi liked Africa. I only recomend watching:
The Australian Outback
The Amazon
Peal Islands
All Stars
Palau
China
Fans vs Favourites
Heroes vs Villains
One World
Philipines
Cagayan
Kaoh Rong
this was the video that made me start watching survivor !
I really enjoyed this video! ;)
i loved this sm!!
Incredible fucking video Peridiam, great job
Thank you for making this video! For song long I've been trying to put my feelings into words, and this does it perfectly. Survivor of the past instilled a passion within me... current seasons I watch nearly emotionless. Go back to the foundation of Survivor: people, relationships, 'survival', and setting!
Redemption island was probably one of the worst seasons everyone knew as soon as rob got of the helicopter he had won
I'd say once Russell got voted out
They gave him the win because if they were smart enough they would have voted him out.
Richard Andrew exactly if I was on a tribe with rob I’d do my damndest to get him out
I love Rob, and will always love watching the season where he so outclassed the other players that he was actually bored and threw away an idol clue, convinced his team not to eat fish caught by members of the opposing alliance, named the tribe after his wife's stuffed animal, coached his opponents for the final tribal with legitimate advice, and still walked away with those opponents giving him all the credit.
Timothy Sandoval robs a great player I agree but his win looses some respect for me as he played against a cast of newbies (minus russel) who all were pretty bad and had no chance of loosing as he was praised by all of his “opponents”
Good timing to do this since the cbs store is literally selling a 40th anniversary buff
Good video bud!!!
criminally underrated content bruv
I love golden age part of its greatness is just the extremely savvy and entertaining cast. Modern eras twists and turns make the game so fun to watch
I heavily agree! You read my mind with the post classic ending with Fiji and then the golden age starting with China. So true. I can tell you put some real thought into this.
I love Nicaragua so much, and Phillipines, but the Dark Era was definitely a low point in the show for me. China was such an amazing leap in quality from Fiji
How
Very interesting. I think I tend to agree with you. The Dark Ages are literally the Dark Ages for us because in Australia, Channel 9 mucked around so much with the schedule that we couldn’t keep up wth when the show was on. So we really didn’t see too many of those episodes. It wasn’t until 9 switched the show over to their digital channel 9Go that we finally got a regular schedule. That lines up with the late Renaissance era. I’m looking forward to seeing how the show continues to change and what will lie in store for the Post-Modern era.
I think Russell ushered in a new era in Somoa. His sheer aggressiveness towards the game got me all excited to watch again, and you could feel a shift.
Russell was a treat I thought, although a jerk...but that makes it great. He was great in many ways. Getting things done in different ways, aggressive and social etc. Huh, reminds me of the current political climate/current president...lol
First season I ever saw was Cagayan and because I missed so many seasons I have never thought about Survivor in terms of eras, but this does make sense now you've said it out loud.
Best Season of each Era:
Classical Era: Pearl Islands
Post-Classical Era: Cook Islands
Golden Age: Heroes vs. Villains
Dark Age: Philippines
Renaissance: Cambodia/Cagayan
Advantage Era: David vs. Goliath
Most Representative Season of each Era:
Classical Era: Borneo/Amazon
Post-Classical Era: Exile Island
Golden Age: China
Dark Age: Redemption Island
Renaissance: Cagayan
Advantage Era: Edge of Extinction
Renaissance>Advantage Era>Golden Age>Classical Era>Post-Classical Era>Dark Age, don't @ me. I think the next era after 40 is going to be dark for a bit lmao.
I watched the first half of the video and read some of the comments before making my list, and even though the eras seem to differ by each comment, there seems to be a general collective overlap. I agree with a lot of what has been said, and I love this concept for a video. While I mostly agree with Peridiam on his general grouping strategy, it was more dependent on the quality of the seasons, where I am grouping them more on the "feel" of the seasons. I can't think of a better word than feel for now.
Season 1-5 as the Classic era. These seasons were heavily dependent on the survival aspect, there was very little strategy (compared to nowadays), airtimes and confessional times for contestants were pretty evenly distributed, and the social game was much more respected. I believe the multiple choice q&a challenge that they had towards the end of the seasons ended in 5 (although I could be wrong here). And just overall, there were not many gimmicks, outside of Thailand having a pick 'em to divide tribes. It was all pretty formulaic and bare bones, each season had a camp setup montage early on, the "water holes" and tree mail were still important, the Survivor gods felt mythical here because the game had an element of focusing on the peoples and lands on which the game was being played. You could also call it the Mythical era.
Seasons 6-10 are the Classic Adjusted era. The producers seem to favor building the season around certain players, introducing more gimmicky concepts (men vs women, gender divisions, bringing back voted out players). Sure, they had tribe swaps before this, but it seemed like every season they were experimenting with something new. On the whole though, this era is not vastly different from 1-5, and it is almost a subset of the first one, but to me there was enough of a change in direction in the show to break it out. This era also had, and I don't want this to come off as rude, but the start of casting a lot of good looking yet forgettable people. Casting seemed to want to get a lot people for some nice bikini shots or men with muscles that were more devoid of substance than people in 1-5. They weren't as high a percentage of the cast make up of your average Joes with regular jobs as it was before. Hell, Vanuatu might be the sexiest season ever, but I struggle to name half the cast, especially the guys on that one. Overall, it seemed like Survivor did not trust their casting process after Thailand and opted to go with either eye candy or big characters like Jonny Fairplay, Rupert, Stephanie, the Robs, who did not win but were the best narrators. It's also fitting that Season 1 started with a pagonging, and season 10 ends with one.
Seasons 11-18 is what I grouped next. Don't really have a name. I think Palau is really underestimated in how it changed the game, and the producers took so many of the "firsts" from season 10 and started putting them into regular practice. They had a tribe of 1 in Stephanie that turned into Exile Island, {there are a lot more than this 1 example, and I remember a list of firsts from Palau discussed on the reunion show that really changed the set up going forward, but I can't find the reunion episode right now to refresh my memory}.
10 was also one of the last times Survivor had an epic challenge, where there were immunity challenges based on endurance and strength of spirit. After the Ian vs Tom showdown, it seemed like producers wanted to limit the challenge time, and also make challenges between tribes a lot more physical. And then of course, it introduced (albeit a very weaker form) the immunity idol, which completely changed how all games were played going forward. The idols did not overshadow the game though at this point, and were integrated pretty well. Overall, these middle seasons were the perfect blend of survival, character development, gameplay, non-overbearing twists, and yes a lot of the tribe set up was heavily based on gimmicks (haves-have nots, races, and a retread of age and gender divisions), but it was still based on demographics for the most part and not the hokey HHH type separations where Jeff decides what type of person you are. Starting with 11 too is the reliance on most season of returning players.
Seasons 19-20, 21-27 is the Steroid era. Yes, I know 20 to 21 does not have a break but I feel bad lumping Samoa and HvV with the others. What I mean by this is Survivor took their twists and put them in overdrive where the twist dominated the season. There were still some good seasons in here, but for the most part this is where the show started to go off the rails. While 19 and 20 are two of my favorites of aaaaaaaall time as Russell would say, they also started a disturbing trend. Russell and his search for idols made Survivor a game of scavenger hunt and not of social dynamics. Having the ability to find idols without clues makes Survivor non-Survivor at this point. Now, the idols and advantages weren't as over saturated as they are now, but these seasons laid the groundwork for it to happen. And not only did a lot of these seasons still have a lot of returnees, but they also dominated the games. Even if they didn't win like Coach and Penner, they suck up almost all the airtime and story focus. The look of these seasons starts to look very crisp as well. I believe HD started in 17 and not 19, but there is just a very nice sheen to the picture quality, which is the most notable when comparing tribal councils across seasons.
Survivor 28-32.5 the Big Move/Resume era. Not really a lot of distinguishing factors. I mainly just wanted to separate this from the modern Fiji era because there was a lot of intricate gameplay, the twists were pushed in the background for a while, and it became very hard for dominant alliances to run the table without those at the bottom of the alliance from turning on the group with power. MvGX had a little bit of both so I copped out and included it in both.
Survivor 32.5-now: The Fiji era. The show stays in one location, throws a lot junk against the wall that does not seem to work well outside of DvG, almost every season has a 3 tribe breakdown at some point, and almost every single one of these winners had an idol or advantage at some point in the game. The location is static, the gameplay is erratic, and Jeff Probst is trying really hard to become a psychologist or sociologist or something. The other defining aspect, and why I wanted to at least include MvGX partly in here, is that it brought about the dreaded whispering/live tribal councils. The Mari voteoff where the viewer has no idea what people are even saying has really changed the game with almost every season in Fiji having 1-3 of these chaotic tribal councils with everyone getting up and whispering new plans to each other. And while yes, this technically started before this with the Malcolm vote out in Cambodia, I think the live triabls become a constant thing starting in season 32. idk, the show has seemed to be a mess in this era, and I hope they can escape the malaise.
It’s like history repeats itself again! 41-42 are the throw every at the wall and see what sticks awkward stage of survivor again.
Pretty on point. Hopefully Survivor Winners At War ties this era nicely. 🔥
Depending on how these fire tokens come into play and how much strategy revolves around them we may see the next era be the Era of Economics.
i feel like we're about to see the true purpose of the fire tokens this week. we've seen some pre-amble, but i think it'll all come to a head soon.
@@tymonster183 Maybe. Why are they called "Fire" Tokens? Hmmm.
I think you nailed it here. I agree with everything you said.
I've been watching since the first season and agree with the golden era. The first fans vs favs and heroes vs villains were by far the best all stars seasons. And in general some of the best seasons were during that era.
next thing you know there is gonna be a idol that you can play for 5 people
I feel like season 39 is the start of a new, socially aware era with the new kind of editing, social issues and completely new kinds of previews of the episodes. Season 38 seemed like a stepping stone to this era. I can sense how Survivor is even more dynamic that it used to be just based on the current season alone.
“im not exactly sure right now what it would take for a post modern era to kick off at this point in time” - its crazy looking back at this video now; seasons 41 onward have been so obviously a “new era”. would love to see you return to this video concept soon but updated with the last 6 seasons
Totally agree. I like to think of this Modern Era as Big-Move-Obsessed as well
interesting take on this. I liked it.
"Survivor is old enough to be on Survivor."
"All Stars" is my FAVORITE!!!!!
I definetly started watching in the "Dark Ages."
With the last season I think it began the fire tokens era.
Actually a really good list
I agree with all of this, we basically said the same thing from when one began vs when it ended. I picked up this show in what is still my favorite season (season 8, All Stars)
Winners at War definitely put a wrap to this most recent era like All-Stars, Heroes vs. Villains and Cambodia did along with the hiatus due to COVID-19.
“Can’t wait to see where we are in a year in 2020”
You have no idea.
Ayyy this is exactly my list!
Well grouped ! I agree
Dvg is the special one. Good cast, good game, good twist
Loved the video, and I pretty much agree with all of your era divisions. The only thing I'd change is moving BvW to the Dark Age. Like you said, it has all the qualities of a dark age season, and I don't think fan reception is enough to move it to the Renaissance era. Cagayan is the perfect season to start off that era, as its universally extremely positive reception is the start of an upwards trend in seasons, and Tony has all the game-changing aspects to define the new era.
Really hope we see less advantages and changes to the endgame gameplay moving forward after S40 😬
That "mkay" moment was hilarious. Gotta love Jeff hahahaha