“Survivor” Season 47 May Be Bringing Back An Original Hallmark

It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly 25 years since the world first heard Survivor host Jeff Probst say the iconic phrase, “The tribe has spoken.” The reality competition show captivated audiences who watched as 16 people were left on the island of Borneo. They had very few material things but a huge will to win. Week by week, the contests were played, plotted, and schemed, and one by one, they were picked off at the tribal council as Jeff extinguished their torches.

The first season finale boasted 52 million viewers on the edge of their seats. They waited in anticipation to see who would be crowned the inaugural Survivor. Richard Hatch walked away with the title and the $1 million grand prize. He was part of the beginning of a franchise that is now entering its 47th season.

“Survivor” Has Seen Many Changes Throughout 47 Seasons

To stay on the air for 47 seasons, Survivor continually reinvents itself. There are new locations, games, strategies, and a wild cast of characters. Season after season, avid watchers tune in to see what’s new. For many reasons, a big part of the game we were contestants’ luxury items. They bring something from home that gives them comfort and sometimes also serves as a strategic part of the game. In season 2, contestant Colby Donaldson’s Texas Flag served as sentimental and functional.

But as the game changed through the years, so did the use of luxury items.

Jeff Probst explained during a recent episode of On Fire: The Official Survivor Podcast, “In the early seasons, we allowed them to bring one emotional item,” the host and executive producer continued, “Which means it couldn’t be survival related. You’re not going to bring a toothbrush. But then we stopped letting them start the game, and we started using them as rewards. And then we just stopped altogether. But we do still have them. They bring one with them, and we approve them, and then we hold them in case we decide we want to use them in the game for any number of reasons.”

Luxury Items Could Be On Their Way Back To Prominence

Season 46 runner-up Charlie Davis shared his luxury item story. When a listener said they’d like to see luxury items back in the forefront, Charlie liked it.

“It’s an interesting question,” Charlie responds. “How would it affect the game? So if you got your emotional item at the start of the game, it would be an instant way to connect with your tribe mates more. You could tell stories of your loved ones, point to them in a photo, show them your mangled stuffed animal, your favorite place you used to visit back home. And then, if we’re talking as a reward, talking as a part of the family reward, I think it would make people fight that much harder because you’re always looking for a little bit of comfort. But when you have people fighting a little harder, you also have the losers of the family reward feeling a lot worse about being left behind. So maybe some even more tension, if you had that in there.”

This story’s featured image is by Michael Tullberg/Getty Images.

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