How It All Started

I needed a distraction. Something easy and fun and low stakes. It wasn't a great several months. My mother had died in August. The lead singer of my favorite band (which had been a huge part of my life and identity for several years) was identified as a VSM* and it had gutted me more than I'd like to admit. The days were gloomy, the dark nights started early. Winter in Iowa is always cold and no great time for motivation. I was watching a lot of television, including the second season of White Lotus. HBO shared interviews with its stars and creative team after each show, including Mr. Mike White, whom is a CP** (I think he was specifically talking about the death of Jennifer Coolidge's character and I was delighted by his use of the word "derpy." Mike White, he was a fun and funny guy. My brand of funny, anyway.) I wanted more Mike White. When he referenced his time on the show Survivor--something I had known but not really registered or bothered with up until then--I suddenly felt I needed to watch the season he was on, Season 37: David vs. Goliath. It was then that an obsession was born. 

I gobbled it up quickly. Each episode was a gift, a treasure, an absolute delight. I couldn't get enough. I went on a binge--Season 38, 39, 40....I also made sure to watch the current season when it started airing in February. When I was caught up, I went back and watched Seasons 21-36. After that, I went back to Borneo. Season 1. I'll probably go through them all again. 

What is it about Survivor? Why do we become so obsessed? For me, I think it connects deeply to my interest in people and psychology. A group of individuals from various backgrounds and experiences stuck together, trying to figure out how to manage their difficult circumstances (hunger, cold, heat, lack of sleep, lack of comforts, missing loved ones, being filthy, bugs biting you, rats crawling on you) while also being involved in a game for a million dollars. I would be a terrible therapist if I didn't have an interest in people and their stories, including how they behave, their motivations, their interpsonal and transactional interactions, and their responses to external stimuli. It was so wild to me how someone could tell us (via confessionals) how they are manipulating others and how it's "a game" and then three days later be disgusted and angry that another player voted them out. Egos are interesting. And so is someone's attempt to navigate their course to final tribal council while also building community and connections. Deep bonds are often made in trying times and these people are living with each other 24/7 for several days with nothing much else to do but talk, wander their island, or watch the sunset. But it's not all getting to know each other, it's also trying to figure out how to stay and keep going. How not to get voted off as well as how best to get further. In later seasons, it's also about "building the resume" so it's not just about getting to the end, but how you got to the end. Layers! And then you add in the challenges, which are fun in and of themselves, but also another layer to the game (how people perform, how they handle struggling, how they manage frustration with other players for their performance, and, of course, immunity). 

Finally, I love that players view the experience as something that lives with them beyond the game. These people are changed by their 3-39 days of game life. Sometimes they are bitter and angry, but often they tell us how grateful they are for the experience because it was deeply meaningful to them. Survivor as an existential journey! 

To me, the best Survivor experience is one that directly correlates to a meaningful life: fun/joy, connection and community, struggle, labor, mindfullness, and introspection. Not only is it a fun show to watch, it contains life lessons!

*Very Shitty Man

** Colorful Personality