By Kirsten Kruus, News Editor
After a lengthy winter hiatus, the reality T.V. series, Survivor, has begun their 30th season this past February, taking place in Nicaragua. For those unfamiliar with the series, Survivor is a reality show where strangers compete for a million dollar prize at isolated locations around the world. Players are split onto tribes where they compete in challenges for immunity. After the merge, participants compete for individual immunity, and the voted off contestants become part of a jury that determines who wins and becomes the Sole Survivor.
Since the show started in 2000, the show has been set anywhere from the Australian Outback to the coasts of Africa. To keep viewers interested, the show’s producers added twists beginning with the hidden immunity idol in Survivor: Nicaragua, Season 11. Other seasons, Survivor: Redemption Island, gave survivors a chance to get back into the game after being voted out, and Survivor: Blood vs. Water, included returning cast members and their loved-ones.
Not only has Survivor provided fame for winners and memorable players but the show has featured copious celebrities and athletes. Chase Rice, a member of the band, Florida Georgia Line, appeared in Season 21 and was runner-up for the million dollars. The track and field Gold medalist at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Crystal Cox, appearing in season 14, was voted out as the fifth member of the jury. Jeff Kent and John Rocker, former Major League Baseball players, and football icon, Jimmy Johnson, currently an American football broadcaster, have also competed on Survivor.
Survivor wouldn’t be the show it is today without the prominent players that made bold or strategic moves. In the past thirty seasons, Survivor fans have appreciated players like Boston Rob, Russell Hantz, Parvati Shallow, Ozzy Lusth, and many more. Producers have brought back many of these popular players to compete in the various season, such as Survivor: All Stars and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, where prior contestants are competing against each other.
The show itself has won seven Grammy’s and been nominated for many more, four of the seven for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program, awarded to Jeff Probst, the host of Survivor. For the majority of the show’s continuation, it has ranked within the top 20 for most watched shows.
After 15 years, and 30 seasons, the upcoming season, Survivor: Worlds Apart, will feature contestants from the different social classes of white collar, blue collar, and no collar to compete against each other on separate tribes. Catch new episodes of Survivor: Worlds Apart at 8:00 pm every Wednesday on CBS.