# Survivor Season 32 -- Is it too soon to care? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 22, 2016, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-32-is-it-too-soon-to-care/743911 "2016-01-22T21:51:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 19
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2016, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-32-is-it-too-soon-to-care/743911/361 "2016-05-22T05:35:41Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Previews of the next season are my favorite part of the reunion show, and by a huge margin. Otherwise agreed. I figure I’ll see it on plenty of commercials. Or just make the show longer. I bet people would watch a longer reunion show. > [@EllisDee](#): > > If I were running it, I’d drop all the audience participation stuff and replace it with behind-the-scenes stuff that ended up getting cut for time from the episodes proper. Contestants interacting with production might be neat to see. And hell, toss in some Ponderosa footage. That would be cool. ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2016, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-32-is-it-too-soon-to-care/743911/362 "2016-05-22T07:38:36Z")
> [@Lare](#): > > I wondered this too. Anyone know? I keep hoping we’ll see one. Kinda surprised it hasn’t happened yet in 32 seasons (unless you think the producers purposely make it so) ---
**Author:** ![iljitsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/77aa72/32.png) [@iljitsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iljitsch)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2016, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-32-is-it-too-soon-to-care/743911/363 "2016-05-22T09:17:16Z")
Didn’t they always use to have an odd number of jurors in the final two seasons? That avoids a tie, but with a final three it can still happen. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2016, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-32-is-it-too-soon-to-care/743911/364 "2016-05-22T13:05:45Z")
> [@magnusblitz](#): > > I keep hoping we’ll see one. Kinda surprised it hasn’t happened yet in 32 seasons (unless you think the producers purposely make it so) > [@iljitsch](#): > > Didn’t they always use to have an odd number of jurors in the final two seasons? That avoids a tie, but with a final three it can still happen. Here’s a list of all final TC votes [Sole Survivor | Survivor Wiki | Fandom](http://survivor.wikia.com/wiki/Sole_Survivor). 14 seasons have been final 2, odd number of jurors, so no possibility of a tie. 1 season was final 2, 8 jurors, final vote was 5-3. Of the 3 finalist seasons, 13 times the margin of victory was 3 or more votes. So usually it’s not even close. 3 times with 3 finalists, the margin of victory was a single vote. In all of those, the 3rd finalist didn’t receive a single vote. I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if one of those was a behind the scenes tie, where one juror did vote for the 3rd finalist, and was asked by the producers to vote again for one of the tied finalists. That’s essentially they do for a tie in a regular TC - revote but only for the tied survivors. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-32-is-it-too-soon-to-care/743911/365 "2016-05-28T00:34:54Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > 3 times with 3 finalists, the margin of victory was a single vote. In all of those, the 3rd finalist didn’t receive a single vote. I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if one of those was a behind the scenes tie, where one juror did vote for the 3rd finalist, and was asked by the producers to vote again for one of the tied finalists. That’s essentially they do for a tie in a regular TC - revote but only for the tied survivors. I \*would \*in fact be terribly surprised if that were the case. Game shows, including competitive “realty” shows like Survivor, are stringently regulated by the FCC. That sort of thing could get Burnett & co. in some pretty big trouble, I’m guessing. I seem to recall Probst once saying that there is indeed a contingency plan in case of a tie, but he’s not saying what it is unless they have to use it. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-32-is-it-too-soon-to-care/743911/366 "2016-05-28T00:58:48Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > I \*would \*in fact be terribly surprised if that were the case. Game shows, including competitive “realty” shows like Survivor, are stringently regulated by the FCC. That sort of thing could get Burnett & co. in some pretty big trouble, I’m guessing. > > I seem to recall Probst once saying that there is indeed a contingency plan in case of a tie, but he’s not saying what it is unless they have to use it. Survivor isn’t a game show and is not regulated by the FCC. It’s an entertainment reality show, like Big Brother and The Amazing Race. Producers are free to manipulate the game to their hearts’ content. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-32-is-it-too-soon-to-care/743911/367 "2016-05-28T01:47:21Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Survivor isn’t a game show and is not regulated by the FCC. It’s an entertainment reality show, like Big Brother and The Amazing Race. Producers are free to manipulate the game to their hearts’ content. Is that true? I know they are not allowed to change challenges based on who is left in the game. They submit them in advance and are not allowed to change them during the game. Probst used to tweet and post about all of this. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-32-is-it-too-soon-to-care/743911/368 "2016-05-28T08:43:11Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Survivor isn’t a game show and is not regulated by the FCC. It’s an entertainment reality show, like Big Brother and The Amazing Race. Producers are free to manipulate the game to their hearts’ content. Cite? ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-32-is-it-too-soon-to-care/743911/369 "2016-05-28T14:41:56Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > I \*would \*in fact be terribly surprised if that were the case. Game shows, including competitive “realty” shows like Survivor, are stringently regulated by the FCC. That sort of thing could get Burnett & co. in some pretty big trouble, I’m guessing. > > I seem to recall Probst once saying that there is indeed a contingency plan in case of a tie, but he’s not saying what it is unless they have to use it. I don’t know if they’re under FCC regulation or not, but as I understand it, being under FCC regulation means they have to have rules that they follow, not that the rules have to be made public. They can have a rule that says “In the case of a 2 way tie for winner, where one or more of the jury voted for the 3rd candidate, the jury members who voted for the 3rd candidate will vote again for one of the top 2 candidates”, and they don’t have to tell us about it, even if it occurs. ---
**Author:** ![iljitsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/77aa72/32.png) [@iljitsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iljitsch)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-32-is-it-too-soon-to-care/743911/370 "2016-05-28T14:55:04Z")
And waste an opportunity to mine unexpected drama? No way. ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-32-is-it-too-soon-to-care/743911/371 "2016-05-28T17:59:24Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Survivor isn’t a game show and is not regulated by the FCC. It’s an entertainment reality show, like Big Brother and The Amazing Race. Producers are free to manipulate the game to their hearts’ content. Well, everything on CBS is regulated by the FCC. The real question is “is Survivor subject to the FCC regulations on ‘contests of knowledge, skill, or chance’ under 47 USC 509?” I think it’s pretty clear that under the language of the statute, Survivor would, as it is a game of “purportedly bona fide contest of intellectual knowledge or intellectual skill.” Scholar Kimberlianne Podlas [would agree](http://cardozoaelj.com/wp-content/uploads/Journal%20Issues/Volume%2025/Issue%201/Podlas.pdf) (pg 170): > [@](#): > > By contrast, shows such as Survivor, Amazing Race, and Project Runway exemplify contest programs in which intellectual skill or knowledge predominates and are encompassed by section 509. ---
**Author:** ![Moonchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-32-is-it-too-soon-to-care/743911/372 "2016-05-28T18:28:40Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > They should’ve done Bernie vs Hillary supporters! 🙂 That’s what my wife said. I’m like the rest: I thought it was Aubrey’s to lose… and she performed as expected at FTC. Was shocked she didn’t win. I can’t remember a social game every being the main criteria for someone winning it all. There have been times that a good social player won because the jury didn’t want to give it to a douchebag (e.g. Hantz), but nothing like this. ---
**Author:** ![Moonchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-32-is-it-too-soon-to-care/743911/373 "2016-05-28T18:31:00Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Ahem. 😃 > > (That was three weeks ago, BTW.) Yes, I just read that – kudos to you! Y’know, she handled Tai’s “I don’t really like you, I don’t know why” interaction with great aplomb. A lesser person could have easily botched it. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-32-is-it-too-soon-to-care/743911/374 "2016-05-28T19:42:56Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > This was the first time I’ve been truly surprised by the winner. In 16 years of watching _Survivor_, I’ve come to accept that sometimes people win and I simply don’t understand why and how they won. This is one of those times. I still don’t understand how Sandra won _twice_, but maybe that’s just me. On the old Television Without Pity board, they thought Sandra was eleven flavors of awesome. If I asked, “How did she win? She didn’t DO anything!” the typical response was, “That’s what makes her so amazing — she didn’t _have_ to do anything!” > [@Wheelz](#): > > I agree that the after-show was lame. They need to either expand so that everybody gets recognized (would’ve like to hear Dr. Peter’s thoughts on how he saw himself on the show, for instance), and/or cut out all the promotional crap, and/or actually reveal the winner before 10:00, thus devoting the full last hour to the reunion rather than about 40 minutes. I usually bail out of the reunion show after about 20-30 minutes. Back when Probst (and Bryant Gumbel in the early years) made a point of recognizing every contestant, it felt a little too obligatory, as if he was talking to some of the long-forgotten early boots because he _had_ to. It was like being at a party and talking to someone because they’re standing in the corner looking lonely and you feel sorry for them. Once in a while there’s something really cool at a reunion show, like Season 30 when [Probst humiliated Dan Foley](http://hollywoodlife.com/2015/05/21/survivor-worlds-apart-reunion-jeff-probst-dan-foley/), but most of the time it’s a snooze. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-32-is-it-too-soon-to-care/743911/375 "2016-05-28T23:50:38Z")
> [@magnusblitz](#): > > Well, everything on CBS is regulated by the FCC. > > The real question is “is Survivor subject to the FCC regulations on ‘contests of knowledge, skill, or chance’ under 47 USC 509?” I think it’s pretty clear that under the language of the statute, Survivor would, as it is a game of “purportedly bona fide contest of intellectual knowledge or intellectual skill.” Scholar Kimberlianne Podlas [would agree](http://cardozoaelj.com/wp-content/uploads/Journal%20Issues/Volume%2025/Issue%201/Podlas.pdf) (pg 170): Interesting. I’ve seen it cited before that Big Brother is emphatically not subject to 47 USC 509, but after googling around, that cite (it was from like six years ago) appears to have been manufactured. However, I notice that the linked PDF pretty much ignores Big Brother. I assume that Survivor, TAR and BB are all classified the same way in terms of regulated Game Shows, and I think we can all agree that producers absolutely influence who people vote for on Big Brother. The interesting bit from that PDF which leads me to the opposite conclusion of the PDF’s author: > [@](#): > > The highest profile complaint about reality television’s deception involves the highest profile reality program, Survivor. In 2003, Stacey Stillman, a contestant on the first installment of Survivor, sued CBS, Survivor Entertainment Group, and producer Mark Burnett alleging that the show was rigged. Stillman claimed that when Burnett learned that Rudy Boesch, another contestant, was going to be voted off, Burnett intervened and persuaded contestants to expel Stillman instead. Allegedly, Burnett did so to retain the more demographic-friendly Boesch, the only remaining contestant over forty. Additionally, Boesch had participated in Burnett’s Eco Challenge, and Burnett believed that Boesch provided great sound bites. According to Stillman’s complaint, Burnett’s “scheme resulted in the premature expulsion of the plaintiff-contestant, defrauding her and the viewing public, and altered the ultimate outcome of Survivor.” Indeed, while the winner receives $1 million, the four runners-up receive $4,500 each. > > Supposedly, before day nine’s immunity challenge, Tagi tribe members were interviewed on camera regarding their forthcoming expulsion votes. Four members—a majority—stated that they planned to vote off Boesch, thus alerting producers that Boesch was in jeopardy. When the Tagi tribe lost the challenge, thus necessitating that they vote a tribe member off the island, Burnett spoke privately with contestants Dirk Been and Sean Kenniff, urging them to change their votes to Stillman and spare Boesch. Burnett allegedly told Kenniff and Been that upcoming challenges would play toward Boesch’s strengths, allowing him to contribute more, and that it would be in the best interest of the tribe to eliminate Stillman. The next day, Kenniff and Been voted against Stillman. Kenniff and Been’s on-camera justifications for voting off Stillman parroted those provided by Burnett: that “it was just for the team,” and that they needed as much “athleticism and brute strength” as possible. > > Been later admitted to Stillman, as well as in a deposition, that Burnett had persuaded him to vote off Stillman. Been repeated this in a post-competition letter to Burnett in which he complained of Burnett’s control over the contestants and outcome of a show purporting to be real. Kenniff, too, disclosed that he changed his vote to Stillman due to Burnett’s urging. If Survivor really is subject to federal regulation, then the above lawsuit should have triggered a (criminal?) investigation by the government, shouldn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![iljitsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/77aa72/32.png) [@iljitsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iljitsch)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2016, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-32-is-it-too-soon-to-care/743911/376 "2016-05-29T12:44:53Z")
Why?? If the producer needs to plead with contestants to change their vote, then obviously he doesn’t have a more direct way to get the outcome he wants. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2016, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-32-is-it-too-soon-to-care/743911/377 "2016-05-29T12:53:42Z")
> [@iljitsch](#): > > And waste an opportunity to mine unexpected drama? No way. I disagree. I think they’d prefer the dramatic reading of the votes at the reunion to be the final event, not have a tie occur there and have the jury members revote right then. But I’m certainly not a participant at Burnett’s production meetings, so you could absolutely be correct. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2016, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-32-is-it-too-soon-to-care/743911/378 "2016-05-29T17:36:40Z")
> [@iljitsch](#): > > Why?? > > If the producer needs to plead with contestants to change their vote, then obviously he doesn’t have a more direct way to get the outcome he wants. And of course, it’s only one persons unsupported claim that he did so. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-32-is-it-too-soon-to-care/743911/379 "2016-05-31T12:55:52Z")
> [@Moonchild](#): > > Yes, I just read that – kudos to you! > > Y’know, she handled Tai’s “I don’t really like you, I don’t know why” interaction with great aplomb. A lesser person could have easily botched it. Thank you! And I agree. She is one of the few players I’ve seen on the show to realize that reacting to someone voting against you, or saying negative things about you, with fury or insults does nothing for you in this game. Given her social adroitness, I’m surprised she’s not a psychologist or something. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-season-32-is-it-too-soon-to-care/743911.md?page=18)