Survivor is the grandfather of all reality series. This is undeniable. Survivor was the instigator in what can now be considered TV's reality era. What I don't understand is how Survivor doesn't receive its just due. It deserves far more critical credit than it has received. Why is this? Why is this gem of a TV show being taken for granted?
Along with "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire", Survivor was the origin of the reality TV boom that has resulted in the creation of everything from "The Osbourne's" to "The Simple Life" to "The Apprentice". This is an undeniable fact. Survivor, however, has remained on the air, remained popular, while so many past reality shows have faded into oblivion. Survivor is forever, because it is pure. It is the purest of all competitive reality shows. I suppose the reason for this is that Survivor is primal by nature. It exists in a world that boils down human existence to the basics. Literally surviving is a key component in the game. Can you think of another reality show where this is true?
Survivor suffers from the curse of the consistent. It is omnipresent in the Nielsen top 20 and, therefore, people take it for granted. While its ratings have dipped significantly from its first few seasons, this was to be expected. Ratings have plateaued at a good clip, allowing it to be a TV stalwart. Now in its thirteenth season, Survivor has no end in sight. As long as there is reality television, it looks like there will always be Survivor.
Why do we watch reality TV so much? My theory: we hate the contestants. Face it, having a valid reason to despise is just the rarest of experiences. There is nothing quite like the vibe guilt-free hatred. So a show like Big Brother, full of prepped, prim, and obnoxiously self-absorbed narcissists is a boon for the malcontent among us.
Big Brother fans will argue that the show is a contest of intellectual skill. Indeed! Hauling garbage cans full of gummy worms, using a little sex to butter up your competitors, stabbing each other in the back? all the hallmarks of a game of human chess if I've ever seen it. It's not that Big Brother contestants are stupid (quite a few of them are), nor is it a matter that Big Brother fans are stupid (judging from the numbers, I'd say it must be a factor though.) Big Brother is merely an excuse for a large number of people, fed up with the daily wage-earner grind, to feel good about hating some pompous punk on TV.
Now how does this explain Chicken George, and other ?older? Big Brother contestants you ask? Easy, it gives the upper half of the target demographic (18-49 year olds) somebody to root for or, if you're staying true to my theory, jeer. Don't buy my snake oil? (Guaranteed to make you wise up!) Just read an interview with any Big Brother contestant and you'll understand it a little better. They themselves, the sane ones at least, don't think of it as a game and perhaps Big Brother's most legendary player, Dr. Will, actually used a strategy of not wanting to play to stay in the fray. Heck, Big Brother all-star winner Mike Boogie won with admittedly having no strategy at all. Tell me we're supposed to root for these people.
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