Survivor: The Greatest Adventure Game

[Da Prophet]

On March 13, 2000 we saw the beginning of the greatest adventure game to ever come across our screens. Hosted by Jeff Probst this show has entertained for over 10 years. Over 300 episodes later and the show is still going strong. With some of the seasons being fantastic and some not so much. You never know what you're going to get with the cast of strangers. People clash, make alliances, break the alliances and do anything they can to get to the end and face the jury. The game brings forth the need to keep the jury on side, making them give you the vote. For 22 seasons this show has had twist and turns, each changing the game in a massive way. 21 winners, with the current season still going on television. From season 1 to season 22 Survivor has entertained the world, has it entertained you?

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Immunity Necklace: The Immunity Necklace plays a huge roll in the focus of the game. The holder this can't be voted out at Tribal Council. They still have the right to vote, but nobody can cast on for them. The holder can give Immunity away to another player which has been done before (Survivor: Fans vs Favourites).

Hidden Immunity Idols: A tool that is like the necklace however it is not won in a challenge each day. This immunity is hidden around the camp or on Exile Island in past seasons. Usually two idols are in play the beginning of the game, one at each camp. Clues are hidden in jars, seats anything that can hold a piece of paper. The clues are usually found at a reward, with the idol being found later at camp. We have also seen people find idols with no clues (Survivor: Samoa). In several cases the use of the idols have changed the game, breaking up the power alliance (Survivor: Hero's vs Villains).

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Spoiler

[YOUTUBE]OxQHec5NmGI[/YOUTUBE]

Cast
B.B. Andersen
Colleen Haskell
Dirk Been
Susan Hawk
Greg Buis
Joel Klug
Rudy Boesch
Sean Kenniff
Gretchen Cordy
Jenna Lewis
Sonja Christopher
Stacey Stillman
Ramona Gray
Gervase Petersen
Richard Hatch
Kelly Wiglesworth​

We start with the original season of Survivor which took place on the remote Malaysian island of Pulau Tiga. Around 6 miles off the coast coast of Borneo. It began with 16 castaways who were split into two tribes Pagong and Tagi. They would be left for 39 days, competing in both reward and immunity challenges. The weakness people in the tribes were targets with the very first person voted out being Sonja Christopher who was seen to cost her tribe the combined reward and immunity challenge. With the game forcing strangers to live together, people who were seen as annoying were also targeted. B.B. Anderson was seen to be an very annoying by his tribe (Pagong), so he was the second to go. The show had a major character in Richard Hatch, who was a loud mouth among his tribe. Known as a snake Richard is seen as the first ever Male Villain and what ever Survivor is measured against. His game plan got him all the way to the end where he won the million dollars and title of Sole Survivor.

The first season of Survivor had me drawn from start to finish. While I didn't watch it's first run, I have watched the episodes. Even after it had aired this season still seems great. From Susan Hawk who was a women with power. She didn't take anything from anyone, making some great moments. You couldn't ask for anything better from a cast of strangers. They had me entertained for every episode. It was a great way to start a show which I love to this day. We did see the return of Richard in the Survivor: All Stars, but that is for another day.

Seeing this show again makes me love it even more. I can sit down and watch each season over again. Seeing all these great moments again and again. This is a show I will never get sick off. If it ever ends I'll probably have to buy all of the seasons on DVD. People didn't know what they would get at first. But when it came down to it, we all got a great television series which is still fighting strong. It is called the greatest adventure game and it deserves that title. Season 1 was fun and exciting, and set the tone for the seasons to follow.

Winner of Survivor: Borneo
Richard Hatch
4/7 votes

So did the first season draw you in as a fan?
Do you enjoy the show?
What do you think of the first season of Survivor?

Next week we go to the Australian Outback for season 2. With the debut of The Black Widow of Survivor!​

 

[Cookie]

The first season of Survivor had me drawn from start to finish. While I didn't watch it's first run, I have watched the episodes. Even after it had aired this season still seems great. From Susan Hawk who was a women with power. She didn't take anything from anyone, making some great moments. You couldn't ask for anything better from a cast of strangers. They had me entertained for every episode. It was a great way to start a show which I love to this day. We did see the return of Richard in the Survivor: All Stars, but that is for another day.

I was lucky enough to experience this season as it happened and I can safely say this is what got me completely hooked on reality TV. I was a little too young to get the full impact of The Real World when it was still about real people and not college kids looking to party, so something of this magnitude was seriously Earth-shattering. I remember the promos being so incredibly epic and so many people I knew were tuning in for this show based on hype alone. Never did I think it would still be running today but I am so glad it is- it will always be one of my favourite reality shows, even when it isn't at its best.

The cast some incredible characters on Season 1 (and most of the early seasons, actually) - I specifically remember wanting Rudy to make it to the end so badly and I was devastated when he was booted off in the final three. I think the cool thing about this show when it first came out is that viewers were surprised by how emotionally attached they got to specific people on the show and how much they hated others. It's a classic formula that is now a requirement in every competition reality TV series - you need the hero, you need the villain and you need the conflict between them to keep people watching (to the point where shows like The Bachelor manufacture villains and heroes to appease their audience). It sparks conversation between fans with differing or similar opinions. It's a huge reason why reality TV forums became huge - people wanted to talk about it like they talked about their favourite Primetime series. And the Internet wasn't totally littered with spoilers at the time, so it was much easier to discuss things with anticipation because people really didn't know what was going to happen.

Seeing this show again makes me love it even more. I can sit down and watch each season over again. Seeing all these great moments again and again. This is a show I will never get sick off. If it ever ends I'll probably have to buy all of the seasons on DVD. People didn't know what they would get at first. But when it came down to it, we all got a great television series which is still fighting strong. It is called the greatest adventure game and it deserves that title. Season 1 was fun and exciting, and set the tone for the seasons to follow.

My friends get on my case about this all the time but I love re-watching different seasons. They think that it's not as fun because the outcome is spoiled but honestly, the lead up to the finale is usually more exciting than the finale itself. Especially when the unthinkable happens like Russell making it to the finals two seasons in a row.

So did the first season draw you in as a fan?
Do you enjoy the show?
What do you think of the first season of Survivor?

The first season definitely drew me in as a fan and I loved it. I had personally never seen anything like it before and the production values were really high quality, making all the other stuff that was premiering at the same time (when reality TV exploded) pale in comparison. My friends and I even had a finale party and ordered pizza and watched it so intensely. This trend followed suit with future seasons as well, until we all moved out to college.

I love the show and I always will. No other competition reality show delivers as consistently as Survivor does, despite what the haters say. 22 seasons later, it's quite different than it was at the start (I actually wish it'd go back to old school rules, sans hidden idols) but it still gives us exactly what we got way back in Season 1 - interesting people, challenging environment, and really interesting strategic game play or some really bad game play - equally as entertaining.

 

[Da Prophet]

We now move onto the second season of Survivor. For me this season is huge, possibly the most excited I was for any television show or movie for that matter. Why? Because the show is in Australia, that is a mark out moment. We head to the outback for this season, with one of the hardest situations of living in the world. We had the arrival of the original villain and then we had the arrival of one of the nicest players ever. The tribes for this season were called: Kucha and Ogakor.

I'll talk more on these two later, but for now let me get to the cast.

Spoiler

[YOUTUBE]0EHykEo85Ew[/YOUTUBE]

Cast
Alicia Calaway
Amber Brkich
Colby Donaldson
Debb Eaton
Elisabeth Filarski
Jeff Varner
Jerri Manthey
Keith Famie
Kel Gleason
Kimmi Kappenberg
Maralyn Hershey
Michael Skupin
Mitchell Olson
Nick Brown
Rodger Bingham
Tina Wesson
​

Once again I was a major fan of this season what more could you ask from a show than this. I have always thought this cast was better than the first one. Firstly you had Colby Donaldson the dominator of the challenges. His work rate saw him climb to the top of the immunity ladder, winning more than anyone before him. Nobody could slow this man down when it came time to compete. However his kind spirit saw him come undone, when he won the final immunity scoring himself a place in the final two. With a major decision to make Colby went with his heart (doing the right thing) deciding to go against Tina Wesson in the final. This is seen as one of the dumbest moves in Survivor history, I disagree with this. Colby really had worked hard to get into his position and wanted to face someone who deserved it. While a case could be made for Keith, I don't think he should have been on the final two. Tina played better, being seen as a kind person. And Colby did what he did best- dominate. Colby is a huge part of Survivor history, being one of the first to use the winning streak all the way to the finals.

People saw Colby as the nice guy, someone you wanted your daughter to marry. Well now I give you someone you wouldn't ever want to meet. Let alone have them in your family. She is known as the original villain, and she has earned it. I give you Jerri Manthey the black widow of Survivor. She used sex appeal to get into the heads of her prey and would turn on anyone that didn't do what she wanted. Her strong nature saw her clash with several members of the tribes. One of the biggest being Colby. The fuel on that fire has been lit several times once. Personal I think Jerri is a great character and loved watching every minute. You can't think of villains without mentioning the name of Jerri Manthey. She was so hated by the crowd that at the Survivor: All Stars reunion, Jerri was booed out of the building. Literally, she walked out because the people wouldn't let her speak. Nobody else has gotten that type of heat EVER!

So looking back at this season I can say it was fantastic. A real treat to watch. You had the twist and the turns, with some of the best players to play. Amber Brkich who began her Survivor run on this season would return for Survivor: All Stars. She become apart of the unbreakable alliance along with "Boston" Rob. They would cut throats, leave tears and blood along their way to the finals. At the end it would be Amber winning the title of the greatest All Star ever. She began on Australia to be crowned queen.

To be honest I'm not a fan of Tina Wesson. She played better than Keith who made it to the final three, however she wasn't the best of the season. She never did anything to really gain my attention and if she didn't win I would have no idea who she was. I thought the season should go to Colby, but it wasn't meant to be. Well that is it, my thoughts on Survivor: Australian Outback. It is something I love to watch, with the setting, the people and the game itself. This could only get better from here!

Winner of Survivor: Australian Outback
Tina Wesson
4/7 votes

So did the second season draw you in as a fan?
What do you think of the second season of Survivor?


Next time we head to Africa and we see another million dollar winner crowd!​