Survivor - TV-PG

Plotting and scheming in paradise for $1,000,000.

TV Rating: TV-PG Network: CBS Cast: Jeff Probst Genre: Reality TV
Available on: DVDDownload

Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that this show's early success is largely responsible for the explosion of reality programs on TV. While it airs in early primetime, it's not always family viewing: Survivors sometimes swear and like to "get back to nature" -- but you might too, if your clothes got as dirty as theirs. Producers will sometimes divide teams along controversial lines (race, age groups, etc.) to shake things up, and virtually every activity the Survivors take part in is backed by a corporate sponsorship. Bonds of friendship are made to be broken as the players struggle to outwit each other in order to win. No one is above back-stabbing a friend when $1,000,000 is on the line.

Families can talk about what it means to be a true survivor and how "real" the show is. Do you think the contestants are ever really in danger of starving or getting seriously hurt? Are the players really the way they seem on TV, or does editing shape how they come across to viewers? Do you have to cheat and lie in order to win this game? Is it ever OK to lie, and if so, when? The show could also inspire families to try a camping trip and divide up chores such as gathering wood, catching fish, and cooking over a fire.

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Betsy Wallace

If reality TV had stopped here, the genre might just have been considered respectable. SURVIVOR has received many Emmy Award nominations, a Special Recognition Award from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the 2001 Family Television Award for Reality/Alternative Programming, and was honored at the 9th Annual Diversity Awards as the Most Diverse Television Ensemble Cast.

The basic structure of the game has remained the same since the first season. A group of strangers (usually 16, sometimes more) ranging in age from mid-20s to mid-50s is "cast away" for 39 days in a remote tropical location and divided into tribes. The tribes compete against each other in challenges for rewards or immunity from elimination (once the number of players dwindles significantly, they start competing one on one instead of at the tribal level). The last contestant standing wins $1 million and the title of Sole Survivor.

Even as they form a society and work together to build shelters and win the challenges, the Survivors vote each other out of the game one by one at tribal council -- a formula copied by countless reality/game shows since, from Big Brother to The Bachelor and American Idol. But the game changes in unexpected ways each season, too, deliberately churning up surprises. Past gimmicks have included bringing back players who were voted out, switching up the tribes after a few days, exiling players to a special island, dividing tribes along controversial lines (race, age groups, etc.), and so on.

It's not a stretch to call Survivor innovative and educational. The game requires contestants to learn and employ wilderness skills and work together, and each season takes place in a different part of the world, with the history and culture of the region incorporated into the show. Challenges test not only Survivors' physical strength, but also their knowledge of local traditions and their ability to solve puzzles and problems. Terrific wildlife footage gives viewers a close-up look at exotic insects, snakes, spiders, sharks, tigers, alligators, etc., depending on the location.

But crafty editing manufactures the drama that Nielsen ratings demand, and young viewers may need a reminder that what they see isn't so much "real" as it is selected for TV. Producers sensationalize tribal power struggles, play up personality traits such as bossiness and laziness, and show "best friends" betraying each other to get closer to the prize. Any injury takes center stage, physical changes are dramatic (many eat so little that they turn into skin and bones), and no season would be complete without sponsored challenges and plenty of shots of girls in bikinis.

As it has progressed, the series has wisely spent less time focusing on the Survivors' day-to-day ailments and more time emphasizing their social interaction and competitive ability -- which always makes for more compelling reality TV. Fans of the series will find plenty to enjoy in each installment, although some parents won't appreciate the fact that lying and backstabbing are so prevalent.

Fans might also like Shipwrecked and The Amazing Race. Younger viewers might enjoy Sail Away.

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Content		CS	adults	kids
Content
Sexual Content Some flirting. Occasional blurred/pixilated nudity when survivors bathe and/or start to lose their swimsuits during challenges. Some of the women wear very skimpy suits on a regular basis.
Violence Survivors frequently get mad at each other, but game rules prohibit acts of violence (though there have been some angry confrontations). Some seasons have included accidents such as someone falling in the fire or accidentally cutting themselves, but nothing too graphic.
Language Strong profanity is bleeped out; words on the level of "bitch" are allowed and not uncommon.
Message
	Social Behavior Most contestants play by the motto "nice guys finish last." Some Survivors are sarcastic and make snide jokes and comments about each other; others have stolen from their fellow castaways, and secret alliances (and betrayals of those alliances) are common. Producers sometimes encourage conflict in the way they structure the teams -- dividing them by races or age groups, for example. In general, there aren't too many minority contestants.
	Commercialism Everything is sponsored, from challenges and rewards to "honors" given to various contestants during the commercial breaks. Cars, soft drinks, and candy bars have all served as rewards.
	Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco Survivors sometimes win rewards that involve alcohol, and sometimes they get tipsy. No underage drinking. Very occasional smoking.