I’ve been watching Survivor since I was nine and this is my thirteenth season across eight years of watching the show live every Wednesday night. Despite all this, and my high expectations going into the season, Survivor: 47 is one of my favorite seasons of not just the series itself but in television as a whole. 

While many modern seasons struggle with a slow start, where the boot order for the first five eliminations is obvious, Survivor: 47 was a welcome exception to the trend. The first episode ended in a blindside, where it looked like one player was going only for it to be someone completely different. Across the next four episodes, before the three tribes merged, we saw the core alliance structure of each tribe break down and pick off one of the players at the top. This was best seen in the Lavo tribe, where one player, despite being disliked by four out of the five other members of his tribe, through luck and the strategic acumen of his one ally, was able to basically run the tribe and dictate its votes. 

While the season’s premerge was great, once the tribes merged the season truly took off. One of the great things about Survivor: 47 was the lack of strong alliances, which was a divergence from the previous couple of seasons. Everyone, outside of one trio of three, was truly out to win for themselves and themselves only, which made the season unpredictable. The season especially shined as fewer and fewer players remained in the game. At the final seven, one of the best players strategically was taken out with a surprise blindside, opening the game back up after a somewhat predictable final nine and eight votes. I found myself cheering on the TV during the final six votes as one player, despite all the odds, survived, and the final five saw the two best players remaining in a head-to-head showdown trying to get each other out. The season’s unpredictability had me tuning in every Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. wondering what would happen next, even on days when I should have spent the 90 minutes studying for an upcoming test.

Despite my love for the season, there were some drawbacks. A problem from previous seasons of having too many twists reemerged. At the final 12, a round after the three tribes merged, a two-tribe format was weirdly introduced for only one episode. This led to a predictable result, and for one player, who otherwise would have likely been safe, to get screwed and voted out. Survivor also remained in Fiji for this season, which while scenic, has gotten to be a little stale as the show has not moved locations in over 8 years now. These flaws, however, are able to be fixed in most modern seasons of the show and are minuscule compared to the season’s pros and strengths.

Survivor: 47 was able to perfectly deliver what a good Survivor season and Reality television competition should have. Every Wednesday night I was on the edge of my seat, waiting to see how the players would scheme to advance their individual game, which continued from day one with 18 players to the end on day 26 where only three players remained. And despite the hardships of being alone on an island, the players this season never disappointed. 

On this blog, members of the Carmel High School chapter of the Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society for High School Journalists (and the occasional guest writer) produce curations of all facets of popular culture, from TV shows to music to novels to technology. We hope our readers always leave with something new to muse over. Click here to read more from the MUSE Winter Collection