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In the realm of reality competition shows, the sentiments reverberating through the Survivor community are resounding with positivity as episodes of Survivor 45 continue to roll out on CBS. The gameplay, the characters, the unexpected turns, and blindsides have all been hitting the mark, and there’s no sign of the season losing momentum any time soon.
We find ourselves in the fifth installment of the show’s “new era,” a transition that commenced after the monumental season 40’s “Winners at War.” According to the seasoned Survivor contestant Rob Cesternino, we may have just entered into what he terms Survivor’s “Renaissance.”
“It’s the feel-good era of Survivor,” he remarked on a recent episode of Rob Has a Podcast’s “Survivor Know-It-Alls,” joined by fellow Survivor alum, Stephen Fishbach. “I can’t believe how much I’ve been very high on this season. But, across social media for the most part, people are thoroughly enjoying Survivor 45. We’re back!”
Seasons 41 through 44 didn’t quite capture the essence that die-hard fans cherished in the first 40 seasons. There was a noticeable shift towards emphasizing individual castaways’ distinctive and often harrowing life stories, diverting focus from the intricate social strategy game—a point Stephen pointed out.
However, according to Stephen, Survivor 45 has rekindled the “epicness” that was notably absent. The reintroduction of the classic opening title sequence, complete with brief snapshots of each castaway set to the iconic Survivor theme, has evoked chills in viewers. “I’ve gotten chills both times I’ve watched the intro now,” Stephen confessed.
Perhaps the most significant factor contributing to this resurgence is the extended runtime. Survivor 45 now unfolds in a 90-minute time slot every week, providing ample room for deeper exploration of game-related storylines and nuances.
“That extra airtime, it just gives you that personal sense that’s been missing so acutely in the last few seasons, where I feel like I know where everybody stands, you know?” Stephen articulated. “It used to be on a tribe you’d see a vague hint of one alliance. But, now we see all of the interplay.”
“This is giving so much more of the sense of what the adventure is like to experience,” he added.
Rob, a contender in season 6’s “The Amazon” and a participant in season 8’s “All-Stars,” conducted a poll on October 12, asking if US Survivor was currently on the “Right track” or “Wrong track.” After more than 6,300 participants cast their votes, an overwhelming 83.8 percent attested that the series was on the right path. Scanning Survivor-related pages across social media, there’s a prevailing sentiment that Survivor is now at its peak since the historic gathering of 20 former winners in Fiji for the 2020 “champion-of-champions” season.
With hopeful anticipation, fans can only wish for Survivor 45 to maintain this level of excellence week after week, ushering in what may very well be dubbed Survivor’s Renaissance era.