and about the divide in the Survivor fandom overall, and I just really like it and wanted to share it with you guys.
Thanks to /u/PrettySneaky71 on Reddit for this great quick writeup
Survivor is a game show, and I think there can be a divide in the fandom at times based on what people are more interested in--the game, or the show. Of course, I'd imagine most fans like both to a degree, but if push comes to shove I think people would generally fall on one side of the coin or the other.
Fans who care more about the "game" than the "show" tend to watch Survivor in the way one would watch a sporting event. How the information is presented isn't as relevant to these fans as much as what information is presented. They want to be able to follow the positions of the players in the game and understand their tactics and strategies for moving forward. For the sake of generalizing, I'd say that these fans would probably prefer a season like MvX or Cambodia. The players express an awareness of the game history and what historically has and hasn't worked, so the starting point of their strategies are already at a higher level of thinking. In Cambodia, the players are very adamant about making the most of their second chance, so they play balls to the wall. MvX is often praised for it's sportsmanship and the way that the cast, for the most part, all gets along very well and was content to think of the experience as "just a game."
The fans who I would say tend to really love Kaoh Rong are the fans who watch Survivor for the "show" first and foremost. For these fans, the level of complexity exhibited in the strategic thinking of the players isn't as important as the narrative and characters. These fans like seeing how the game events translate into a story, more in the way someone would enjoy a scripted drama as opposed to a sports match. They are more concerned with the types of content the players get, seeing multiple sides of the contestants, and having a storyline that is consistent and cohesive across the course of the season.
It is as a "show" where Kaoh Rong excels--not to say that there isn't any interesting strategy--but as a story with characters, the season is one of Survivor's best. Whereas many seasons feature at least two or three players who don't really contribute a whole lot to the game and end up fairly underdeveloped (Sunday, Will, Lucy, CeCe, Rachel in MvX for example), Kaoh Rong has moments where every character gets to be developed and important to the broader plot of the story. While Julia ends the season with the lowest amount of confessionals relative to where she placed, she certainly matters to the story, though she is largely developed through the perspectives of others. Joe, who is generally in the background, has a chance to shine in his evacuation episode.
Additionally, the narrative isn't only present, but consistent and cohesive. Ideas and plotlines that are introduced in one episode will develop over time and reach a definitive conclusion later on. This creates a sense of emotional depth to the moves performed in the game. Scot's blindside isn't only exciting because it's a Blindside, but because we've seen the build up. We've seen how Scot plays with his temper and acts like a scourge and a bully. We've seen how the emotional and sensitive Tai has somehow become entangled with the two baddies of the season. We've seen how Jason gets his hands on the To Tang idol as his final curb-stomp against the unfairly maligned Alecia. We've developed a sense of caring about our underdogs fighting against the super idol. When Aubry is able to sway Tai's favor and get him to break the Super Idol and oust Scot, it's not only fun because someone gets surprised--it's an emotional payoff to episodes worth of build up. And then the repercussions of that vote continue to move the story forward as Michele is forced to regain her footing after being left out of the loop.
Again, firmly putting all fans in one box or the other is a generalization, and I think most fans acknowledge you need a little game and a little show to make Survivor work to its' best. But I think in general the "show" fans tend to be very vocal about what they like and what they think is important in a Survivor season, and Kaoh Rong has it in spades.
I don't get how people watch for just the game. It's a show for entertainment? I'd rather watch crazy people like Abi-Maria then boring game bots like Stephan Fishbach anyday
Koah Ron is one of my top 3 seasons hands down and honestly Michelle winning made it that much better in my eyes because it shows the viewers that there's more to the game than just strategy and that playing 100% social is a great way to play as well sometimes.
In the Era of big moves this season was a nice refresher to finally see characters that you grow to love and hate and really get to know and to see the different types of strategies work for different people
i think both are important but ugh, i can't stand when all the players in a season are in constant game mode. it makes it almost pointless to vote anyone out, because everyone is playing the same way.
