# Survivor3: Does anyone care? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 9, 2001, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor3-does-anyone-care/86301 "2001-10-09T10:17:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThunderBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@ThunderBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThunderBunny)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2001, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor3-does-anyone-care/86301/1 "2001-10-09T10:17:28Z")
OK, the first Survivor was incredible. The second one was good, but there was certainly less interest. Does anyone care about the third one? Or has it fizzled out entirely by now? As for me, you bet I’ll be taping the show to watch later (Thursdays are my volleyball tournaments). Since Hollywood scripts seem to all be cut from the same mold, the unscripted events of the reality TV craze can really end up being… unexpected. And frankly, it made for the best water-cooler discussions at work the next day. Our boss would walk on us in the day after the show, and just shake her head, resigning herself to not getting any work done until 10:00 or so. It looks like this round has just as many hard bodies to drool over as well. 🙂 So, how much of a freak am I to plan to watch that show? Is there ANYONE else out there among you informed and learned masses who thinks that this round will be worth watching? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2001, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor3-does-anyone-care/86301/2 "2001-10-09T10:59:23Z")
I do. I like Survivor. I just wish they had someone like, I don’t know, maybe James Earl Jones, to conduct the tribal counsels. But overall, I think it’s a great show. And I _like_ the editing despite criticisms I’ve heard. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2001, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor3-does-anyone-care/86301/3 "2001-10-09T11:01:27Z")
Ugh. Councils. ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2001, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor3-does-anyone-care/86301/4 "2001-10-09T11:03:52Z")
I didn’t watch the first survivor and watched the second one on and off. I’ll be interested in what strategy the winner from Survivor 3 uses, but beyond that, I’m not particularly fussed. ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2001, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor3-does-anyone-care/86301/5 "2001-10-09T11:05:09Z")
Oh whoops … forgot to add that I’m also looking forward to seeing how they manage their product placements. ---
**Author:** ![ThunderBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@ThunderBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThunderBunny)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2001, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor3-does-anyone-care/86301/6 "2001-10-09T11:17:20Z")
That’s true, the product placements were pretty shameful. Target supplies, Aztec prizes, phone call through some cell phone. I only expect them to get worse. Doritoes anyone? ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2001, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor3-does-anyone-care/86301/7 "2001-10-09T12:21:01Z")
I ashamed to admit the personal angst I am having over this very topic. I can only surmise that the stress in my life and the events of 9/11 have so warped my mind that all perspective has gone out the window. These are the sorts of conversations I’ve been having with myself: “I sorta want to watch, but I got so incredibly involved in Survivor II… I loved those people! I almost don’t _want_ to get interested in another group of Survivor castmates! And how can it be as good, anyway? And do I want to have my life sucked away for an hour each week? But what if I don’t watch and it turns out to be really good? I’m still driven crazy by the fact that I never watched the first Survivor and don’t know any of those participants…” On and on. Endless little debates with myself. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2001, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor3-does-anyone-care/86301/8 "2001-10-09T14:00:25Z")
Mrs. H loves those Survivor type shows. I hate them. I had no interest at all in SI or SII. As it turns out, one of the people from SIII worked at the same place as me for years. I still don’t care in the least and won’t be watching it. Actually, I have a couple of mutual friends with one of the SII people. As far as I know I have no connections with SI. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2001, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor3-does-anyone-care/86301/9 "2001-10-09T14:19:59Z")
Survivor 1— No interest. (rented videos) Survivor 2— No interest. (watched Friends) Survivor 3— No interest. (will either watch whatever’s opposite it, or rent videos) ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2001, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor3-does-anyone-care/86301/10 "2001-10-09T15:04:18Z")
Cranky, I have a solution for you. Tape the first 3-4 episodes, and then listen to the buzz about the show. If it’s favorable, and alot of people are gushing about it, watch your tapes and start watching the show. If people start bitching about it, erase the tapes. Or not. ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2001, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor3-does-anyone-care/86301/11 "2001-10-09T23:37:40Z")
For me, Survivor is one of those programs worth watching just to see how it’s going to turn out. You have a bunch of complete “noobs” dealing with an untamed wilderness, politics, alliances, breakups of alliances, incredible twists of fate (but for Michael Skupin’s careless tumble, Tina Wesson would’ve been toast), and of course the always-unpredictable challenges. Sometimes it’s entertaining, sometimes it’s just plain annoying, but no matter what, something is always brewing. I do think they should have changed the format a bit, however. Some parts of S2 were way too predictable, especially the post-merge tribal councils; there really should be a way to prevent strict tribal-line voting. ---
**Author:** ![Ferrous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Ferrous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferrous)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2001, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor3-does-anyone-care/86301/12 "2001-10-09T23:46:02Z")
Survivor-head checking in. I’m going to watch. I think it might have an interesting kind of recursion to it: In S1, most people had no clue about strategy, and so those that did won. In S2, everyone had seen how the strategy was supposed to work, so they ALL basically played the Richard strategy. Now, in S3, everyone will have seen how it plays out when everyone has seen…well, you get the idea. Also, one of the castaways is from my town. (Go Lindsey Richter!) ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor3-does-anyone-care/86301/13 "2001-10-10T00:12:53Z")
I’ve been running potential Onion headlines for next week through my head. This is the best I have so far: “CBS’s Survivor: Africa Premieres to Disappointing Ratings - Trounced by CNN’s Survivor: Afghanistan.” ---
**Author:** ![GraceTX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c4cdca/32.png) [@GraceTX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GraceTX)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor3-does-anyone-care/86301/14 "2001-10-10T01:38:22Z")
I watched Survivor I and by the time Survivor II started, I already knew a lot about the cast. This year I just don’t seem to care. I don’t think it was the September tragedy but that I just lost interest in the show. I knew months ago that I wasn’t going to watch. ---
**Author:** ![Jeannie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@Jeannie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeannie)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor3-does-anyone-care/86301/15 "2001-10-10T01:38:41Z")
I’ll be watching. I love reality TV. I loved the first Survivor. We had only tuned in just to see how stupid it was, and we got sucked in. The second one wasn’t as good, IMHO, simply because I knew what to sort of expect (plus there was no Susan, and I loved Susan). I expect I will enjoy the new one. However, I would have loved it if they had switched to using three tribes. That would cut down on tribal voting blocs when the merger happens. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor3-does-anyone-care/86301/16 "2001-10-10T01:39:44Z")
[http://www.surviiivor.com/surviiival](http://www.surviiivor.com/surviiival) Is anyone else going to play? We had a league last year. I don’t know how well we did, but it was kind of cool 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![OneChance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/74df32/32.png) [@OneChance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneChance)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor3-does-anyone-care/86301/17 "2001-10-10T01:42:29Z")
I won’t be watching. I’d rather pluck every hair out of my body, one by one, against the direction of growth. If I want to see a bunch of ugly Americans acting fake and backstabbing for some money, I’ll go work in an office. 🙂