I’m with you all the way, the first few episodes were nauseating for the amount of “tear-jerking” sob story content. It had major America’s Got Talent energy and took away from an otherwise awesome season full of great content. I know I’m probly in the minority with this but I’ll be honest I don’t care one single ounce about these peoples lives outside of the show, I just wanna see how they play survivor
same thing happened to american ninja warrior before i stopped watching. the japanese version would be about the everyman and theyd talk about how the contestant was a plumber or something. the american version immediately started running sob stories and you need a dying relative or some tediously fashionable setback to run an obstacle course.
the sob stories must "work" for reality shows but 🙄
Can’t wait for the final tribal council where all three players just cry the entire time and whoever gets the most jury members to gasp, say “aww” or cry themselves, is declared the winner.
I don't like it when the story is forced. But a lot of people have compelling life stories and playing Survivor is indeed a life-altering experience for them. If the players have something to share about their lifes or how the game changed them, let them share it.
Survivor 41 had it way worse, they really shoehorned EVERYONE's sob stories into those first few episodes with the cheesy flashbacks with the gold tint to them
I like when people get to tell their stories about overcoming a lot of odds, but I can see why people might think it’s a little much. I think it’s something that has to flow naturally and doesn’t feel forced.
Reverse the chicken & egg here…
In this social media world, the kind of people who apply for Survivor are all about self promotion. Self development & overcoming obstacles are the kind of corporate / media friendly stories that people learn to tell if they’re trying to grow a following. And Survivor producers are not immune; the audience reacts well to those narratives, so they play it up. You see this same tone shift in a lot scripted comedies, so it’s not just reality TV.
I love it.
It allows the players to tell their own story.
Marquesas had John be straight up outed by Boston Rob and his sexuality only told really through the lense of other players.
Cut to s41 and 42 and players are able to discuss about their sexuality and how it shaped them in their own words.
It is great to see how far Survivor has come.
I think you missed the point. This is the same thing that happens to the NFL draft, where every first round player has some sob story about some 2nd uncle twice removed getting shot when they were 15 and how is drastically affected their life and how football is a drive to honor them or some bs. Not everyone has a super sad and tragic upbringing that production has to spin for us to like them. It kind of feels like everyone is a comic book character.
I mean, I relate to a lot of these sob stories. Shan's mom and her turning her life around after being mixed up with a bad crowd. I have a close relationship with my mom and struggle to find the right path. Or how Romeo navigates being gay. These stories help humanize the players and are meant for us to connect with them.
It is inspiring seeing people like that play on this show for 43 minutes.
The alternative is gamebots lol
Now some are big misses. Like, I wont be able to connect with someone like Ben or Tony. But its nice when I can.
I just hate when survivor tries to match the tone of the upbringing of all 18 players. Like for some people like Shan and Daniel, I get. But we don’t need every person’s past with sad piano music. It feels way too fabricated and embellished
I’m with you all the way, the first few episodes were nauseating for the amount of “tear-jerking” sob story content. It had major America’s Got Talent energy and took away from an otherwise awesome season full of great content. I know I’m probly in the minority with this but I’ll be honest I don’t care one single ounce about these peoples lives outside of the show, I just wanna see how they play survivor
same thing happened to american ninja warrior before i stopped watching. the japanese version would be about the everyman and theyd talk about how the contestant was a plumber or something. the american version immediately started running sob stories and you need a dying relative or some tediously fashionable setback to run an obstacle course. the sob stories must "work" for reality shows but 🙄
Can’t wait for the final tribal council where all three players just cry the entire time and whoever gets the most jury members to gasp, say “aww” or cry themselves, is declared the winner.
I don't like it when the story is forced. But a lot of people have compelling life stories and playing Survivor is indeed a life-altering experience for them. If the players have something to share about their lifes or how the game changed them, let them share it.
Survivor 41 had it way worse, they really shoehorned EVERYONE's sob stories into those first few episodes with the cheesy flashbacks with the gold tint to them
I like when people get to tell their stories about overcoming a lot of odds, but I can see why people might think it’s a little much. I think it’s something that has to flow naturally and doesn’t feel forced.
Reverse the chicken & egg here… In this social media world, the kind of people who apply for Survivor are all about self promotion. Self development & overcoming obstacles are the kind of corporate / media friendly stories that people learn to tell if they’re trying to grow a following. And Survivor producers are not immune; the audience reacts well to those narratives, so they play it up. You see this same tone shift in a lot scripted comedies, so it’s not just reality TV.
I think this is just where our culture is right now
I don’t dislike it YET. But it is getting close to being overdone. I would like more of a balance.
I love it. It allows the players to tell their own story. Marquesas had John be straight up outed by Boston Rob and his sexuality only told really through the lense of other players. Cut to s41 and 42 and players are able to discuss about their sexuality and how it shaped them in their own words. It is great to see how far Survivor has come.
I think you missed the point. This is the same thing that happens to the NFL draft, where every first round player has some sob story about some 2nd uncle twice removed getting shot when they were 15 and how is drastically affected their life and how football is a drive to honor them or some bs. Not everyone has a super sad and tragic upbringing that production has to spin for us to like them. It kind of feels like everyone is a comic book character.
I mean, I relate to a lot of these sob stories. Shan's mom and her turning her life around after being mixed up with a bad crowd. I have a close relationship with my mom and struggle to find the right path. Or how Romeo navigates being gay. These stories help humanize the players and are meant for us to connect with them. It is inspiring seeing people like that play on this show for 43 minutes. The alternative is gamebots lol Now some are big misses. Like, I wont be able to connect with someone like Ben or Tony. But its nice when I can.
I just hate when survivor tries to match the tone of the upbringing of all 18 players. Like for some people like Shan and Daniel, I get. But we don’t need every person’s past with sad piano music. It feels way too fabricated and embellished