Survivor (TV Series) The Final Four (2000) User Reviews

Snake and the Rat!

[ShelbyTMItchell · 10/10 · 1 May 2013]

Say what you will about Susan as she really made the show finale of the first season and original one very memorable. As this would had been only just a normal show of the finale.

As Susan really has given such a memorable speech about her hatred of Kelly who would end up as the front runner. And allowed Richard to win as he is the first ever Survivor and most hated at the time.

As we saw what reality TV would become. Very cutthroat and manipulative. Along with the way that it would be for friends to turn into enemies. And how they would get revenge on others.

Reality TV became the way that it was meant to be. All about ratings despite it being scripted at times. But still, Susan made such a memorable speech!

Season One

[zkonedog · 10/10 · 7 July 2019]

This first season of Survivor was not the very first foray into reality television (MTV had already experiment with filming people on "Real World"). However, this indeed was the first time that the concept was applied to a mass audience and packaged in a way that made it seem exciting and dramatic.

Basically, Survivor sees a group of 16 people stranded on an island in Borneo. With only a few basic survival items and their wits, the contestants are separated into two tribes and must compete with each other until a sole winner is crowned with the prize of one million dollars. Each week, a different contestant would be voted off the island by their fellow mates.

Besides the challenges for rewards and immunity, the show really became intriguing because of its mix of characters and situations. For example...

-The oft-nude homosexual Richard forging an unlikely bond with the grumpy, 70-something former Navy Seal Rudy. -The "serious tribe" (Tagi) versus the "fun" tribe (Pagong). -The alliances that would constantly shift or become re-defined with seemingly every episode. -The humor infused into the show that comes from that many people living together and tolerating each other.

Basically, though conceptually a "gameshow" in name as a prize is competed for, it quickly became clear that the entire experience was really more of a social experiment than anything. Viewers could easily identify with (or vilify) a certain character, thus making it feel as if living vicariously through them on the island.

Overall, "Survivor" was a completely new idea that (for a time) revolutionized the way TV dramas could be made. Though now reality shows so dominate the market that the ideas are running on empty, this set is an ode to a time when the concept was fresh, real, and exciting all at once. Watch it for the first time to see what all the buzz is about, or watch it again to relive your memories of the phenomena. Either way, you'll enjoy the ride.

A number between 1 and 10?

[injury-65447 · 10/10 · 3 July 2020]

Greg had the Deciding vote to cast.

He asked them to choose a number between 1 and 10.

Ultimately he chose Rich. I wonder if he really picked him based on a random number or if that was just him doing his usual oddball shenanigans for a laugh...

When people were naive

[fredseq · 10/10 · 20 March 2022]

Here is where this wonderful game was born.

Although it was the beginning, and therefore it was a very "relaxed" season it culminated with an historic and unforgettable tribal council finale, and there are several considerations to be made (even though it is the first Survivor):

. It is clear from the start that there is only 1 real player in the game (Rich) and 13 other dumb dumbs (although Sue and Rudy played their smart alliance game led by Rich, and rightly so).

. I can't understand when people sign up for a game where they know what they're going for, know the concept, know the winner will walk away with $1,000,000 and 13 people think they're going to a desert island for a holiday or simply "to exist". An example of this is, among many other things, the voting in tribal council: people voted in an alphabetical order or "just because". It's unbelievable how people don't seem to know the context where they are inserted when there's $1,000,000 at stake and they don't seem to give a damn or vote conscientiously.

. The repulsion for alliances: many people seemed hurt by the fact that there are alliances when the only way to reach the end of the game is precisely with people and strategy and never alone, again it seems that they have no notion of where they are, the type of game, nor what they are doing.

. Although it was the first experience, we are talking about intelligent people with dignified professions in their real life, so it was required of them to be more intelligent in distinguishing a game from the real life and not to overlap both when they are completely different realities.

In short, there is no doubt that Rich could be the only and fair winner since he was the only one who came to play and did so with all his intelligence, insight and notion of where he was and with whom he was with.

Season 1 best players: Rich.