Survivor S43 & 44

[Rei Ayanami]

I feel like Carolyn’s our first truly “iconic” character in the modern Survivor era.

I thought Shan was pretty iconic too. Half of 41 was basically her story.

44 was wonderful. I was rooting for Carolyn, but I can't be mad at Yam Yam, the first male Latino winner in 44 seasons. I thought the way Carolyn's 4th wall-breaking confessionals bookend the season was beautiful.

 

[Beautiful Child 2]

Shan and Carolyn are thee girlies of the new era. Shan being morally ambiguous really sets her out from the pack.

 

[Daniel_O]

Not a fan of the “new era” Survivor, but a few players that I really loved/liked are definitely Carolyn and Shan, and also Evie and Tiffany from 41, Maryanne from 42 and the true winner of 43 - Cassidy.

 

[Gemini]

The two main things I hate about 'new Survivor' is that the time they are out there is dramatically shortened, and that they scrapped the live finale. I have always loved the idea of Jeff carrying this jar of votes for half a year to reveal them on stage, being able to see everyone all done up, and react to not just their time on the show but also the revelations that come with watching the show. I assume it's way cheaper to not do anything live though. Maybe if the winner ever leaks, they'll decide to go back.

 

[beyoncésweave]

Easily the best season in this monstrous New Era. Beyond criminal that Mother did not get any votes, of course, but I blame the now thoroughly useless FTC format which completely bars getting into the players' games in any meaningful sense beyond just trading platitudes. The fact that only Carson and Frannie seemed to talk?! (with their audacity to choreograph Carolyn's responses yet still not vote for her? I will continue to advocate for abolishing STEM!)

Yam Yam is a very decent winner, and importantly, one whose win feels satisfying because we saw him actually play the game for a whole season. So much of getting a good season now seems to depend on luck; you need a great cast, sensible editors and advantage tricksies not figuring too much. Until the next time we get as lucky! Hopefully it's before Second Chance 2: The Re-Up on whose projected fan vote leaderboard Carolyn and Shan occupy the top 2 spots respectively!