Are ‘Survivor’ Fans Bored With ‘Edge of Extinction’?
Survivor has kept a solid fan base since it first began way back in 2000 — and nearly 20 years later, the show’s still holding steady while adding in new twists and turns to keep players guessing. Season 38, better known as Edge of Extinction, is soon coming to a close, and fans are excited to see which player will make it back from Extinction Island before the end. And while we’re slated to see the largest jury in Survivor history (and we’ve already seen some incredibly blindsides), it seems not everyone’s happy with the state of the show.
So, what do fans think of the current season? Are they enjoying what’s going down, or are they bored to tears? Here’s what they’re saying.
Fans think the season would be boring without contestant Rick Devens stirring the pot
The Edge of Extinction twist allows every player voted off the island to potentially have a second chance at the game if they choose to head to Extinction Island, but that’s not even the most exciting aspect of the current season. Rick Devens went to Extinction Island early on in the game and fought his way back — and now he’s become enemy No. 1 amongst the remaining contestants. Episode after episode, we see Devens win immunity challenges and find immunity idols, saving him from returning to Extinction Island once again.
Fans are loving watching Devens play, but Reddit users also noted that this season would be a total snooze-fest without him. As one Reddit user said of Devens’ antics, “I think it makes for some AMAZING TV. I’d be bored out of my mind if it was Ron in the F6 instead of Rick.” And another added, “I’d be bored and done with this season if it weren’t for Rick. I haven’t been watching Survivor for 19 years just to watch predictable alliances of uncharismatic players saunter their way to the final 3.” Yet another wrote, “Without Rick this top six would be yawn-inducing.”
Fans are also tired of the same immunity challenges
It’s not just the players remaining on the main island that’s boring viewers. It seems long-time fans of Survivor wish the producers would change up the challenges as well. As one Reddit user noted of the immunity challenges, “They have become too formulaic. Do we need every single challenge to end in a puzzle that makes the other 90% of the challenge irrelevant?” The user also insinuated that prior to Season 20, the challenges were much more interesting.
Others on the same Reddit thread seemed to agree. “YES. I would rather have a weird dud challenge like 21 flags once in a while with a bunch of great, weird, diverse challenges than the formulaic slog it’s become,” said another user. And another person echoed the same sentiment with, “Sooooooo boring. I don’t watch them half the time. I just listen and glance over.”
What do Survivor fans really want to see?
With a game as longstanding as Survivor, every fan will have varying opinions on what they’d love to see next. And while some viewers have voiced that they think a season with no hidden immunity idols or advantages would make it more interesting, it seems most viewers just want the producers to bring back the creativity that was involved in some of the earlier challenges. “I’d love to see more immunity challenges take place at night,” one Reddit user mentioned — and many others agreed. Another Reddit user added, “Remember that time they had to disassemble a hut and reassemble it like a mile away?”
It seems fans would also love to see the eating challenges return, too. On a “Gross Food Challenges” post, Reddit user commented, “I consider this a staple Survivor challenge however when was the last time we got one, S26?” And on the previous thread, another echoed this idea with, “I wish they would make it more like Fear Factor challenges. Something to showcase peoples’ strengths other than physical strength.”
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