Chris Wins Survivor

SurvivorI’m doing a lot of reviewing lately, and tonight my topic is Survivor. When this show aired it’s first season, we didn’t watch it. And for weeks among family and friends and the water cooler we found ourselves left out of the biggest TV buzz of the season. And so, determined not to let that happen again, our family has become dedicated Survivor fans. Tonight, Chris has won the 9th season, Survivor Vanuatu, overcoming long odds from his balance-beam choke on episode one, to being the only guy left in a tribe full of woman.

What’s the staying power of this show to us? For one, Survivor has become the only must-see family television in our house. It’s a shared family pleasure to watch regular (and often irregular) people compete and scheme against each other for the chance to be on television and the possibility to win some serious money. We chose our favorites, and boo the villians, and it’s a good time.

The show is also a lesson in life. Strangers are thrown together, all there to play a game they know to be cutthroat, and they want to win the money. Yet over the days together, competing as teams, and working together in alliances, they form relationships, good and bad. And by the time the final vote comes about, there’s always a major boilover of emotions that cracks me up. Sure, it’s gotta hurt to be on the jury, coming so close and now having to chose which of the people that beat them will get the money. Some handle it well, and graciously acknowledge the victors. But others pull out the bitterness… boo hoo, you lied to me, I thought we were friends, you would say anything for the money… waa waa waa…

Certainly real relationships can develop on Survivor, hell, Rob and Amber are getting married (but that may have been Rob’s ultimate post-game play, right?), but to the Survivor cry-babies out there I’d like just say, “Get a grip. You were out-played, out-witted, and out-lasted. So save the tears and be a good loser”.

OK, so maybe I should get a life, but Survivor provides some harmless escapism and fun family TV time, and we’ll likely keep watching as long as they keep churning ’em out.

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