The 2025 Emmy nominations for Outstanding Reality Competition Program dropped and for only the second time since 2006, Survivor was selected. Not surprisingly, host Jeff Probst was fired up about the recognition and dropped a bunch of photos to celebrate. As a fan, I was initially happy, as I love Survivor and want to see the show recognized, but the more I think about it, the more I can’t shake a nagging worry that the honor could come at a cost.
Now, that might not make sense to those of you who aren’t Survivor superfans; so, let me drop my buff here for a second and explain. Survivor 48, the show’s most recent season, was probably the worst received since 41 and its disastrous hourglass twist, at least if you go by the hardcore fans on social media. The complaints were loud and consistent, mostly focusing on boring gameplay, an over-emphasis on the personal backstories of players and an edit that prioritized emotional journeys over strategizing.
tried to remain positive throughout much of the season, but by the end, I was on the same page with the critics that it was one of the weakest recent efforts. Host Jeff Probst, however, definitely did not feel the same way. He was very positive about Survivor 48 whenever he spoke about it, likely because he seems to love highlighting positive and uplifting stories of personal growth, which 48 was filled with.
nothing complained about more than a perceived over-representation from 48. Just how much hardcore fans disliked the season was made clear when they collectively went off about not needing to see Kyle, Kamilla and Joe so quickly again.
The hardcore fans aren’t the only people watching the show though. There were numerous anecdotal stories about casual fans absolutely loving the season. My parents loved it. Many hardcore Survivor fans talked about their less invested family members loving Joe and Kamilla in particular. Throw in Probst’s love for Survivor 48, and it’s obvious there is a rift in the community between what hardcore fans seem to want (more strategizing, less advantages, more villains, less personal life stuff) and what the producers and the casual fans want (uplifting stories, positive role models, emotionality, twists and turns).
Now, technically, Survivor’s Emmy nomination came for 47 and 48 both. 47 was received very positively by the same superfans who complained about 48, but if you look at Jeff’s post on social, it only references 48. You can check it out below…
Now, ultimately, I’m not really sure this Emmy thing matters. Seasons 43 and 44 were nominated for an Emmy, and exactly zero players from those seasons were picked for Survivor 50, which is crazy considering Carolyn Wiger wanted to come back. So, maybe Probst and the producers don’t really let this kind of thing affect their decision-making. I think it’s worth bringing up here, however, because it’s so obvious there’s a rift between how everyone views 48. There’s a part of me that worries the producers will see this as validation for 48 and lean harder into that style moving forward.
Regardless, I’ll be around to watch it play out. I may not have liked Survivor 48 as much as recent seasons, but I still loved it more than almost anything else on TV. I’d happily vote for even a bad season for Emmys, and I can’t wait for 50, even if I would have done things a little differently.