Welcome the granddaddy of all reality shows; the one that started it all; the one that had everyone believing reality shows were really real: the Survivor TV show. Take a bunch of total strangers and drop them on a deserted island with nothing but a few simple tools, some rations, and a film crew and see how they handle it. Dangle a huge wad of cash in front of them and watch them go at each other like sharks in a frenzy. It was great entertainment and it spawned the next wave of television that is still crashing on the shores of home televisions worldwide. The reality series was here to stay. The Survivor TV show became part of our cultural and social fabric. The expression being voted off the island is not only used around the world in the office, but by other TV shows. No one can put out a tiki torch around their pool without making some sort of Survivor TV show reference. We all have that island sound in our heads when we joke that the tribe has spoken and someone must leave the donut table.
What gives this show a special spot in TV history is that it was the first to do this so well. It re-invented the formula for TV. You didnt have to have a new premise or plot every week or come up with new ideas for new shows. All you had to do is come up with new locations. The fact that you had almost no payroll for actors and thousands of replacements lining up to work for free didnt hurt either. The Survivor TV show presented a new business model that had producers and networks smiling. The people in the show were the same as the people on the show. The connection was amazing between audience and actor. The guy at home felt like he had just as much a chance to be there as anyone else. Add in the fact that the show was designed to bring out the darkest and most devious human behavior possible made the allure irresistible.
The Survivor TV show phenomenon has cooled off a bit from where it started in its first couple seasons. It was hurt by scandal and accusations of corruption. It was also hurt when the public found out that the islands they went to werent all that deserted and often served dessert at the end of a buffet line just off camera. But the show was strong enough to survive even that. The Survivor TV show made strong com backs a few season in a row, but now struggles to keep its head above water in a rough sea of reality shows. The joy that the originators can take is seeing their formula being replicated over and over again. The Survivor TV show changed TV forever. The way that shows are judged will never be the same. This show will never leave the island. The viewing tribe has spoken.
Discover more facts and trivia by visiting Rick's Survivor TV Show Page or talk about the show with others at Rick's Survivor Forum.
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