Part of Survivor's motto is "outlast," and that definitely applies to the show itself as it has lasted longer than most of its reality show contemporaries (and TV series in general). Beyond the basic premise of having a group of people trying to "survive" in nature while also outplaying each other to win a big cash price, the producers of Survivor have frequently introduced new elements to the series in order to keep it interesting throughout the series' 40 seasons and counting.
However, not all changes have been for the better. Survivor has definitely jumped the proverbial shark multiples times during its 23 years on the air, and although it sometimes bounces back from its missteps, they still tend to tarnish the show's enduring quality in irreparable ways. Even if you're still a Survivor diehard, it's hard to deny that the show isn't what it used to be, and here are 15 reasons why.
15 Overdoing The Gameplay Twists
It might be true that a show like Survivor can't stay fresh and interesting unless there are twists that shake up the formula, but there is such a thing as taking that idea too far. Once Survivor's twists starting getting way too gimmicky-- and they started having multiple twists per season, like Nicaragua-- it made things feel more convoluted than exciting.
14 Mishandling Inappropriate Conduct Claims
Unless there is a medical emergency, producers of Survivor tend not to interfere with the game directly, at least not in any way they show the audience. But when there was serious accusations of inappropriate physical contact between contestants during Island of the Idols, the show had no choice but to address it-- though their handling of it was too little, too late.
13 Casting Beauty Over Ability
Survivor implies that its players have all specifically applied for the show, but that's not entirely true. Producers also "recruit" people for the competition-- and that means drawing from pools of actors, models, and other attractive people who will look good on camera (and wearing next to nothing). The downside is bringing in people who have zero skill for the game, and it shows.
12 The Fire-Making Challenge
In season 35, Survivor introduced a twist where a spot in the final four came down to a fire-making challenge rather than voting. By host Jeff Probst's own admission, this was introduced to ensure that a certain type of player gets to be part of a season's home stretch-- which, low-key meddling though it may be, is still producer meddling which ruins the integrity of the competition.
11 The Hidden Immunity Idol
When the Hidden Immunity Idol was first introduced, it was possible to utilize it in such a way that a player could become virtually invincible through much of the season, which completely breaks the game. While the Idol was eventually given restrictions that limited its power, the damage had already been done for the players that used it to overpower themselves.
10 The "Haves Vs. Have Nots" Twist
Survivor has long played with the idea of pitting one "type" of group against another, be it a face off between genders, age groups, or specific styles of player. But one seriously misguided example of this is the "haves vs. the have-not" twist, also referred to as "rich vs. poor," which was just a gross way to divide people and also completely ruined the fun spirit of the game.
9 Colton Cumbie
Obviously a show like Survivor isn't going to be interesting if it is full of honorable, do-gooder "hero" types, and there needs to be those villains each season to stir up drama and keep things exciting. But casting a guy like Colton Cumbie, whose bigotry must have been apparent before he was picked, takes that idea way too far and just gives a platform to a hateful person.
8 Focusing On Selected Players Rather Than Whole Casts
During Survivor's first seven or eight seasons, a lot of time was spent on the players' day-to-day activities at camp which had the side effect of giving all of the players an equal chance to be seen. But after that, producers started mostly focusing on the handful of players and events that were part of a season's "storyline," which meant that low-key players were tragically all but forgotten about.
7 Making A Joke Out Of The Ted And Ghandia Incident
Island of the Idols may have been the first time that alleged misconduct was directly dealt with, but it wasn't the first time it occurred. Thailand saw the infamous "grinding" incident that occurred between Ted and Ghandia, and not only was it not dealt with but the show made a joke of it, playing up the humor in Ted's dismissive quips about the incident and Ghandia's reaction to it.
6 The Failed Experiment Of The "Fans Vs. Favorites" Season
Once Survivor was on the air for a number of seasons and various former players had the chance to become fan favorites, it only made sense to start bringing some of them back for reunion-type seasons. But where Fans Vs. Favorites erred is in bringing back the players that were famous for being big personalities rather than good ones, and the result was a season full of obnoxious, clashing egos.
