My friends are from UK but live in the US and never seen a Survivor season, heard of any of the players or even know the rules. They are fans of reality type challenge shows (Traitors UK version etc) and so I suggested Survivor for the ultimate gameplay viewing. They want to watch & pick it up. Which season is best to start to get the rules, strategy, gameplay and epic players? I could go with one of the best (or best depending on opinion) best season but then it’s downhill from then on so I think suggesting 3 seasons in order to get into the game and build on understanding how strategy works and gets more sophisticated.

Suggestions of sequence of order to appreciate this show & understand the level of genius of players?

Welcome to "Previously On, /r/Survivor," a weekly thread intended for anyone to ask any question about Survivor, without judgement.

This community contains many superfans who know too much about the show. And it also contains many up-and-coming fans, who may have questions about Survivor that they're hesitant to ask for various reasons. This is the thread for those questions.

Or any Survivor questions from anyone, really.

There are no dumb questions in this thread. Please do not downvote questions unless they're obvious trolling/shitposting. Otherwise, ask away, and those of us who know the answers will provide insight.

Do I love this because I’m a cancer? Because I love emotional turmoil? Because I love DRAMA??? This season is truly fun

Incredible winner

Awesome cast

🔈 BAD BI*** Monica !!

ROCKS

Sooo fun. I’ve been a longtime casual fan but wow I’m hooked. I love this show

First challenge and titties are OUT LETS GOOO

Holy shit I did not expect to see someone’s shoulder dislocate and then be relocated

Rupert’s toe is NOT in a J shape. Liar

the way the dudes are all ready to give Boston Rob a bj bc he can start fire without flint is hilarious

Russell’s already throwing a tantrum over this

Jerri, coach? Really?

Lmao Pavarti looks like a fucking beaver my god somebody give her some eye makeup remover

Okay sugar following Colby around is desperate and not the drama we want

Why is Sandra yelling no one is arguing with her

First tribal council: Rupert looks like an actual cave man

Oh no bye bye sugar

ETA: episode 1

What’s your hottest Survivor take? 🔥

We heard the Survivor 48 contestants give their hot takes, now let’s hear YOUR most controversial Survivor opinions! Drop it in the comments, whether it’s an unpopular strategy, a take on a specific season or player, or something you’ve always believed about the game.

No take is too bold or ridiculous, let’s see what debates we can spark! 👀

I know that the most obvious ones are Shantel smith and Mari takahashi, but are there any others?

Let’s say something along the lines of this cast

This would sound like a fans vs favorites situation, but all these people are very strategic on their own right and have experience on reality shows, plus with someone like Hayden in it, he could help the BB players do better since he has survival experience because he’s been in, so would it really be just a steamroll?

what do you think?

I remember a season where there was a survivor couple and Jeff said to the man do you have the same relationship as someone else and everyone started to laugh. What season did that happen and with who?

Watching Survivor with my parents, just finished Samoa (all of us are very happy with >!Natalie!< winning, and I cried during >!Erik’s!< speech) and now it is finally time for Heroes vs Villains. I am so unbelievably excited and can’t wait for my parents to see it too.

I love giving them fun facts when watching, so, any fun facts or info around the season? I already know about them reenacting scenes and when it was filmed and things like that.

One thing I love about the early seasons of Survivor is how gritty it feels. The games are more crude, the way the contestants are shown on camera feels less dramatized and more real. The biggest thing is the show feels more like a documentary about people trying to survive and less like a game. At some point this obviously switched as the sets became more finished and the editing style of the show began to formalize. I'm curious on everyone's opinion, at what season would you all say this switch happened?

I have never seen a Rob season and would love to watch one. Without giving me spoilers on who won the season (I’m assuming he’s won and lost before) which season is the best to see him at his absolute best and understand how he got his persona of incredible player?

I can just imagine in a top two scenario specifically, feeling like you want to thank the person who chose to bring you to the end. Has anyone heard winners discuss this?

ETA: I mean post show, off camera between two friends.

I haven’t watched a ton of seasons but in the few I’ve seen there are always times when people are like “I can’t sneak away” or give sus explanation of why they were gone for a while and I’m always like omg say you had a horrible case of diarrhea!!! Need to get an idol in the middle of the night? Had to poop. Away from camp looking for a clue? Had to poop.

I've only watched Australian Survivor, so I wonder what u guys who have watched both think and if the US version (or other international ones) are better than AU.

What Survivor finalist would you say has had the easiest path to make it to the final tribal council? It can be someone who dominated the game, won a bunch of immunities, or just was seen as a goat and therefore was never targeted. What do you all think?

Started a Bracketology survivor fantasy league for the subreddit. Join and invite your friends !

https://bracketology.app.link/CoJDn5O6DQb

If there was a season of survivor with all previous villains, who would you want to see?

With Parvati plugging Australian Survivor AU vs World a lot in recent interviews saying it’s airing in July is it possible that they have a plan to air it in the US or internationally?

Edit: This is obviously total speculation/wondering

I’ll be honest, the choices of challenges in WaW were a massive letdown. It really doesn’t inspire confidence in production when half the challenges are “go through obstacles then solve a puzzle”, while the other half were just standard endurance challenges. I feel like there was so much they could’ve done with all the unique challenges they’ve done over the years. Just imagine if they brought back challenges like…

Quest for Fire: The first ever challenge in the show? This should’ve been a no-brainer. They brought it back for Cambodia, surely there was room for it in WaW.

Blind Leading the Blind: Even if this is one of the most commonly used challenges in the show, it is nevertheless an exciting classic that gets me laughing and cringing every time.

Buggin' Out: Gross eating. Maybe not the most original idea but it breaks the monotony of endurance challenges and puzzles.

Fools In the Rain: This is specifically the version of “When It Rains It Pours” used in MvGX where participants hand both hands tethered to their buckets. It’s crazy they tried selling WaW's version as the most difficult when they did this version not too long before.

A Crate Idea: The giant crate puzzle. Honestly one of the few puzzle challenges I don’t mind.

Stomp-ede: Each castaway or tribe is given several items and instructed to stomp on a plank of wood, catapulting one item at a time into a basket atop a tower. Again, just anything to break the monotony of a puzzle every other week.

Fire and Water: Here’s one to test your firemaking skills prior to the F4. If you don’t remember, the challenge was to build a fire on one end of a seesaw, then fill the other side with water to life the fireside to light a fuse at the top. I think this is an underrated classic challenge that deserves another shot.

Sumo At Sea: 1v1 challenges are some of the most fun ones to watch and Survivor needs to do more of them. Plus imagine how funny it would be if Tyson lost his round a third time.

Chimney Sweep: You know what, this is one endurance challenge they should’ve brought back. Specifically the 1v1 version in HvV.

Survivor History/Fallen Comrades: This is one of the biggest love letters to the fans you could possibly give us: Survivor winners answering questions about Survivor history or their fellow winners. If you wanna keep people watching, there’s a challenge for you.

What other challenges do you wish they brought back this season?

As we approach S48, I wanted to know everyone’s favorite moments and storylines from S47, he are some that stand out to me

• Operation Italy, probably the most popular pick
• Rachel vs Genevieve rivalry
• Rome giving a talk from Jeff’s chair before being blindsided at tribal
• Andy’s episode 1 meltdown
• Sierra’s blindside where Andy flipped on her
• Rachel’s clever shot in the dark play
• Everyone else giving up their shots in the dark for rice
• The intense live tribal where Tiyana was voted out
• Rachel’s funeral/Andy getting himself idoled out
• Sue’s one-sided beef with Kyle
• Teeny’s one-sided beef with Sam
• Sam’s epic comeback at F4 firemaking
• Sol

There are so many other great moments like Sue’s red paint fiasco, Rachel hiding in the bushes to eavesdrop, Gen’s move against Sol, Anika’s reaction to being voted out etc, such a good season all things considered with a really fun cast!

Who is you're top 10 best confessionalists in 47 seasons?

Mine was previously Heroes vs. Villains; I’m leaning more towards Winners at War knowing the controversy around Sandra

EDIT: seems like there’s lots of Sandra lovers on this sub /hj

Who should have returned and was willing, but was denied a chance?

Kelly G

TBird

Neleh

Sean R

Helen G (Had she been on any other season, she would have probably returned for All Stars)

Fairplay for HvV

Tina, Tom and Jenna for WaW

Todd (probably would have been on WaW had it not been for his drinking)

Fabio (I know I'm probably his only fan. He wasn't a great player, but he was one hell of a character.)

Frosti

She wasn’t as villainous as Ami but she was a huge part in keeping the women’s alliance together.

Would anyone enjoy seeing her return for a second round?

I know Twila is most people’s first choices from Vanuatu but what about Leann?

Spencer and Tasha are my Favorite underdog duo from one of my Favorite survivor seasons ever, Cagayan! And they were both clear jury threats and would’ve demolished anyone left in the game as the underdogs had they made it to the finale. Howver then I thought, who wins if they’re in the finale together? Although they were super close, I don’t see them taking each other if they’re do win final immunity because they know how big of threats the other one is, but let’s imagine a Spencer, Tasha, Tony final 3 (which is probably more unlikely than a Spencer, Tasha final 2, but a boy can dream) Tasha or Spencer win immunity and take the other (even though either of them could probably win against Tony in a final 2) we now get our scenario, a Spencer and Tasha final 2.

I think Spencer has the locked votes of Tony and Jeremiah, While Tasha has the locked votes of Morgan, Trish and Jefra.

I think Sarah probably leans Spencer, I know she had a final 3 deal with Spencer, however she also seemed to get along really well with Tasha at ponderosa, but I’m leaning her voting Spencer.

I think Woo votes Tasha, probably similar to Trish, I just don’t see either of them clicking too well with Spencer and Tasha is much more sociable.

I think LJ goes for Spencer, as I see him respecting Spencer more.

So it all comes down to Khaos Kass……

Kass really hated them both towards the end, and I could see her voting Spencer, thinking he played the better game, and she bad talked Tasha a lot in post game interviews, Howver I’m inclined to believe she votes Tasha because of her hatred for Spencer and close relationship with Tasha pre-merge.

I’m leaning a Tasha win 5-4,

With Tasha getting, Trish, Woo, Jefra, Morgan and Kass

And Spencer getting Tony, LJ, Jeremiah and Sarah

However this is definitely not a guaranteed win

Bonus Question: I see a lot of people talk about Spencer winning, and how well he’d do on winners at war, however how would the timeline change with a Tasha win and how well do you think Tasha would do on winners at war? I’d imagine J’tia replaces her on the second chance ballot which leads to utter chaos