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Let me just preface this right now. I am not advocating that we shouldn’t cast any Survivor players on shows like The Traitors and Deal or No Deal Island. In fact, let’s do an entire season filled with Survivor alumni! When it comes to casting former castaways on these reality competition shows, they’re simply on another level. To compare it to another competition, it’s like having the varsity squad play with the freshmen on junior varsity. Survivor castaways enter these games with advantages and disadvantages, but their ability to play has proven that it’s far superior to the non-gamers among them.
In the three seasons of The Traitors and the two seasons of Deal or No Deal Island, a handful of Survivor legends have played and dominated. In fact, two Survivor winners have participated in both contests. Yes, the players picked from the franchise are known for their strategic mastery, so when you put them in a field of civilians or reality stars originating from docufollow series, it’s embarrassing to see them try to keep up.
Survivors Thrive on ‘Deal Or No Deal Island’
Let’s begin with an examination of the Survivors on Deal or No Deal Island. In the inaugural season, the series featured two reality stars. First, it was former case girl and The Real Housewives of Atlanta peach holder Claudia Jordan alongside Survivor legend Boston Rob Mariano. Comparing the two, Claudia may have been a civilian. She didn’t let her celebrity aid her as she wasn’t recognized in the same manner Boston Rob was. From the jump, he was seen as a threat and a villain. The players knew who he was, and he had to adapt. Like he did on Survivor: Redemption Island, he found a minion in Aron Barbell and used him to aid his game. Boston Rob likely would have won the game had he not misplayed and cheated in the final excursion. He was able to use his social capital and strategic expertise to further himself. Even in the challenges, he used his vast playing experience to compete at a level unmatched.
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For Season 2, Deal or No Deal Island recruited Survivor: Micronesia winner Parvati Shallow and David Genat, also known as the Golden God, winner of Australian Survivor: All Stars. For this lot of players, the Golden God has gone undetected, which is to his benefit. He’s not seen as a threat for his past, but little do they know he’s a strong competitor. Now for Parvati, she’s been detected as the leader of the Black Widow Brigade, and she’s using her past to dictate her game. She knows she has a target on her back, but the moment that Dr. Will Kirby of Big Brother fame arrived, she is now able to take a backseat. If anyone knows her resume though, they should know their fate is sealed.
Smart ‘Survivor’ Strategy Brings Success on ‘The Traitors’
Now, to The Traitors. There’s a reason why Boston Rob and Parvati have played both games. Their strategic prowess in games that require skillful strategy makes them perfect players. At this moment, Boston Rob is still playing as a traitor. His unique situation of entering the game as a traitor after being banished has allowed him to take a slight backseat until he completely dismantled the game of one of his own, Bob the Drag Queen, when he subtly put a target on his back. On Season 2, Parvati originally started as a faithful, but when she was recruited to play as a traitor, her game completely changed. She was forced to play a completely defensive game, that ultimately led to her downfall. She seemed like an obvious person to play as a traitor. So she was snuffed out. Especially since her one-time Survivor rival, Sandra Diaz-Twine, played as a faithful.
Season 1 saw two Survivors play the game. First, Stephanie LaGrosso floated pretty far into the game as a faithful, using her strong alliance-building skills. Then, one Survivor legend, perhaps the best player to never win the game, was able to finally earn a reality television show victory by being the inaugural winner of The Traitors. For the first season, it was reality stars and civilians combined. Cirie Fields played as a traitor, a gift to gleeful fans. The woman who got off the couch used every skill that made her a Survivor great in order to build social bonds to trick civilian faithfuls in handing her the grand prize. From there, any Survivor castaway who arrived at Alan Cumming’s castle thereafter had to play harder and smarter. Now in Season 3, the Survivor quota was lifted to four. Thus far, the two castaways who were not traitors, Jeremy Collins and Tony Vlachos, have been murdered or banished. It leaves Boston Rob and Carolyn Wiger, who is on track to win the entire game, playing the same eccentric game with her whimsical personality.
What’s been proven faithfully thus far is that having a reputation from Survivor means relying on the strengths to outplay, outwit, and outlast the non-gamers in their midst. Every winner of The Traitors has come from a competition show. These strategic gamers are simply cut from a different cloth. There’s no comparison. If you’re not a castaway, you’re in over your head. Perhaps for Season 4, The Traitors should bring in those lesser brilliant characters who weren’t known for their brains to even the playing field. I’ve got that list ready to go if ya need it Peacock!
A reality show where a group of contestants are stranded in a remote location with little more than the clothes on their back. The lone survivor of this contest takes home a million dollars.
- Release Date
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May 31, 2000
- Cast
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Jeff Probst
- Seasons
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45
- Network
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CBS
- Streaming Service(s)
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Hulu
, Netflix - Showrunner
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Jeff Probst
Survivor is available to stream on Paramount+
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