Survivor is one of a kind. Before there was reality television, Survivor came along. The premise is simple: drop a number of Americans (16-20) from all walks of life onto a selected destination in the middle of nowhere and see what happens. The game's title is misleading. While the survivors do have to survive the elements- make shelter, make fire, deal with the bugs and rain- the game at its core is a social game- surviving each other. The contestants are divided into two tribes, and the tribes compete against each other every few days for rewards and for immunity. Whoever doesn't win "immunity" is forced to go to Tribal Council, where they must vote to send someone on. Midway through the show, after the number of survivors has been cut down to half, the tribes merge and then compete against one another for rewards and immunity. When it gets down to two people, a jury of the last seven people to be voted off decides who plays the game the best and deserves the million dollars.
The game is, of course, endlessly fascinating. I like watching how different bonds are formed. My favorite part seeing them start from scratch and then build the shelters- the first few episodes are always my favorites. I'm not sure how to explain the show to someone who has never watched it, but it has a polarizing affect on people. You either hate it or love it.
