User blog comment:IAmNothing712/The fate of Survivor after S26/@comment-1160470-20120922055446/@comment-124.171.37.175-20120922183848

little bit of a lurker here - but after 24 seasons, Jeff has really been the only mainstay. I don't think it's died, or dying because of Jeff. I don't think anyone could do it better, or quite like Jeff. However, I do feel that the longer the show is on, the more people 'learn the game' - the more the rules change, and the more the producers, do, forget why the audience actually watches.

Things that have really killed Survivor for me - Sugar. I loved her. JT played games. Sugar's survivor reputation became tainted. However we also found out that the contestants, for that season at least, knew of each other and were in communication two months prior.. That opens the door for deals, alliances and game playing like what happened with JT and Sugar.

The game's sudden obsession with 'good vs evil', religion and feeding peoples hunger for 40 days of attention on camera (almost like it's the real first prize) As much as I love coach, the survivor game was always a microcosm of life, but the minute you start to say 'thats an evil thing to do, or that's an honorable way of playing' you stunt players into very specific character sets, which, as we've seen - changes how they react or want to be percieved on the show, when it's their time round.

I love coach, but it took him three seasons to go from comic relief to a genuine nice guy. Sure, we got to see that journey, but bringing russel back because he's a bit of a dick? What did they think was going to happen? Against others who've found out their on the next season of survivor two months in advance- You watch survivor, You do your research, on the game, the place, the people. Russel died because people didn't want that taint on their tribe. Russel even said himself the first time he went on, that he cramed every season of survivor in, in the two months before he arrived on the island.

So yeah, this reoccuring theme of two months which I'm going on about obsessively.

Survivor is literally pumped out now, to reduce costs they pretty much send everything to whatever location they'll be filming at for the next 6 months and then send in 2-3 different groups back to back. As one is airing, One or two others are in post production. I.E. at least in the states - they are casting. Russel again commented on how he got off the island, then went back out - that it was far to soon.

Because of the shift from quality to quanity. It's lost the creative edge. They've highlighted the points people used to be able to find themselves and lost focus on the aenima of the actual show. Just the fact that people are allowed to be so informed before going into the show, gives them a level of confidence, unbefitting the situation.

Watching Pavorti, or, Conanne (whatever the girl's name was who told sugar her emotions for her fathers death were ungenuine) run circles around people after week five. Purely because either they've cast multiple women whom remain under the social IQ standard, and frankly insult women kind everywhere by their unavoidable portrayals, it's so predictibly boring to watch - most survivor fans can spot 'that girl' first episode, before the drama's even started up. The last thing this show is supposed to be is predictable.

What I'm trying to say here is, I miss the genuine social drama, awkwardness of first meeting - having to struggle to survive together. Now it just feels like the first episode is only missing uni students hanging out of the side of the bus/boat screaming 'ROAD TRIP!!' in bikini's, with two frat dudes tapping a keg in boardies behind them, with 3-4 over 40 year olds - staring on in disbelief about how they have to cooperate with these children for the next month, The presenter - is the least of the show's worries.

What happened to 'if you can't make fire, you don't get fire?'   dumbed down and a complete lost of substance.