Outwit Outplay Outlast

Christian Baumgarth
Economos
AP English Language
21 October 2012       

          Would you offer to live out in the wild for up to thirty nine days for a chance to win one million dollars? If you answered yes, the CBS reality TV show Survivor is for you. Survivor, which is hosted by Jeff Probst, has been running on CBS for thirteen years and is currently in the middle of its twenty fifth season. It is viewed by millions of people every Wednesday and has won several Emmy Awards throughout the years. However one might ask how a show can keep viewers interested for this long? The answer is in the simple plot line that keeps the viewer intrigued while still keeping them wondering what will happen next while they try their best to expect the unexpected.
     
         The plot line of Survivor is very simple. They bring anywhere from sixteen to twenty people out into a secluded part of the world. Then they are divided into tribes and forced to work together to create a new society. The tribes compete against each other in a challenge each week and the losing tribe is then required to go to tribal council and vote out one member of their tribe.

          This is where the social part of the game becomes a big factor. You have to make alliances and make sure that you have enough people on your side to staying the game. This is where the show becomes most interesting to the viewers because anything can happen. People will make outrageous deals, lie, back stab, and form multiple conflicting alliances to ensure that they stay in the game.

          When only nine people remain in the game, the tribes are dissolved and the game becomes every man for himself. Also, once you have been voted out, you become a member of the jury which is the group of people that determines the winner of the game. When there are only two people left, the jury of seven votes on who played the best overall game and who deserves the one million dollar prize.

          The jury bases their votes on how well a contestant outwits, outplays, and outlasts everyone else. They must have been able to outwit everyone and have played the best social and mental game of all the contestants. They have to have been able to outplay everyone else in the challenges. Lastly, they have to have been able to outlast all the other contestants by surviving the votes and the elements in which they are forced to live in. Survivor is truly the ultimate competition that tests your physical, mental, and social abilities.