by Don Hart

Survivor Tocantins had such potential in the beginning that I never thought the endgame would end up being…just plain boring. What happened? J.T., Stephen and Taj came to play. The Old Timbira came to roll over and play dead. Without any endgame competition the show has become drained of its dramatic tension. Perhaps it’s time for a Survivor makeover.

Suggestions for Improvement

It’s time for a different cast of characters.

With a few exceptions the Survivors are the same types of people each and every series.

1. How about raising the age group? The Survivors are overwhelmingly 20’s/early 30’s, usually with a lot of young, wannabe actors. There are a few token older players who usually turn out to be at a disadvantage in the pre-merge game. Eye candy is nice for a while, but all too often the young and good-looking turn out to colorless.
2. How about some Canadians, Mexicans, or Puerto Ricans? Enlarge the geographic mix as well as the age group. California is over-represented.
3. How about a Celebrity “Biggest Losers” show? Well, maybe not, but you get the point.

It’s Also Time for Some New, Completely Different Challenges

The challenges have not been bad, but are pretty similar season-to-season. Because of the mostly physical challenges, the old and weak (especially the females), are ousted pre-merge, especially if they are also annoying. The strong alpha males are targeted post-merge. The challenges therefore lead to predictable Tribal Council results. A few hard physical challenges do add some nice spice to the mix, especially if some contact is involved, but how about adding some games which require “thinking” team skills such as Family Feud or Match Game, or how about (a local flora) scavenger hunt? If a physical challenge, how about dodge ball? Water-based challenges seem to have disappeared the last two series, presumably because they favored good swimmers too much. But as tribal camps are usually set up at water’s edge, a few water sports would be appropriate again. The suggestion here is that the Survivors could be surprised with some unexpected challenges where noone is favored.

Give us a break please from challenges involving digging or groveling around in the dirt. And as for that puck-shuffleboard game this series, vote it off the island.

Try Mixing the Tribes a Lot More

Maybe just for once the Producers could try mixing up the tribes after almost every Tribal Council. Intratribal politics have become too predictable. If the tribal dynamics were shaken up each week, it would keep the players and the viewers guessing a lot more come Tribal Council time.

It’s Time to Exile “Exile Island”

Exile Island is getting old, and the hidden immunity (HII) has lost its novelty. The Tocantins’ Exile Island/HII turned out to be a real dud.

Drop the Auctions in Their Present Form

Episode 12’s auction had no drama, probably because the players were just too nice.

Spice Up the Loved Ones’ Visit

As mentioned by some other writers, the flow of tears after only a thirty-day absence seems overdone. Thirty days are just not that long for everyone to break down. Are the players crying for the camera? If I had the visit of a loved one, my reaction would be more smiles than tears. I keep waiting for the loved ones to get involved in the game dynamics. It seems as if the Producers dictate: “Spend some one-on-one time with your loved one and don’t discuss strategy.” If this is the case, isn’t the game disrupted too much? At least bring back a challenge where the Loved Ones can participate.

Summary of Why Episode 12 Was So Boring

1. The auction had no bite.
2. The Love Ones’ visit, as always, was too sappy.
3. Taj’s choice was a no-brainer. She should have had to choose between going to Exile Island alone or allowing the other five to see their loved ones.
4. The Old Timbira 3 remained clueless when they allowed the Jalapao 3 to continue to roll.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

What a disappointment the Old Timbira has turned out to be! It’s unfortunate that J.T., Stephen and Taj haven’t had any worthy competition. The Old Timbira blew their numbers advantage. In fairness to the Producers here, the Old Timbiras’ ineptitude would have been difficult to foresee.

Both Sierra and Debbie in their exit interviews admitted that they never knew Stephen was a schemer. Is Stephen that good an actor, or does this suggest that the Old Timbira just all had minimal people perception skills?

J.T. should have been ousted after Brendan and Tyson. The Episode 8 challenge just after the merge clearly showed three stronger challenge players, where physical ability was required: Brendan, Tyson and J.T. With Brendan and Tyson gone, J.T. no longer has anyone to challenge him physically should physical ability again be the biggest asset in a challenge. J.T., as Taj commented in a confessional, is also liked by everyone. It was therefore J.T. who should have been ousted in Episode 11, if not sooner. It should not have been Sierra, who probably was an excellent candidate to take to the Final Two.

Why has Taj’s affluence not been a factor in the game? Hopefully we’ll find out.

Survivor really lucked out in its ratings. The other networks have punted in Survivor’s time slot.

Hopefully the endgame may yet prove to be of interest. But if Episodes 11 and 12 are any indication of what is to come, the Tocantins’ endgame could be a real sleep inducer.

For feedback, please email me at cosohub@ix.netcom.com.