It’s been a little more than a week since the Survivor 50 cast was announced, and a lot of fans have not stopped complaining. I did my share of grumbling and am still big mad about a few last minute cuts (give us Abi-Maria!), but honestly, my annoyance is now focused elsewhere. More specifically, it’s focused on the number of people in the cast and what that’s probably going to mean for Immunity Challenges.
There are 24 people on the Survivor 50 cast. As a contrast, all of the so-called New Era seasons feature 18 players. In theory, that’s a great thing. We’re getting to see six legends who otherwise wouldn’t have made the cast. In practicality, however, those extra players are going to almost certainly require a change to how immunity challenges are run.
much to the annoyance of fans, take place over 26 days. To compensate, Survivor has reduced the number of days between normal eliminations and typically has one or two surprise double eliminations where an episode features multiple Tribal Councils.
allowed us to spend way more time at camp, but even with the extra length, the double elimination episodes always feel rushed. Unless both people getting booted are obvious unanimous choices, it always feels like we are missing part of the conversation. The idea of that happening every week is really frustrating, especially for a season that’s supposed to be a celebration of Survivor.
I’m still really excited about Survivor 50. It’s going to be fantastic to see Coach interact with players from the New Era. It’s going to be great to have Jenna back and to see people like Emily Flippen play again. I’m going to watch whatever we get and almost certainly enjoy it, but between some of the strange casting choices and what the number of days issue is likely going to do to immunity challenges, I can’t help but think the producers may be keeping the season from reaching its full potential.