Is ‘Survivor: San Juan del Sur’ premiere date in trouble? Editor strike raises questions

While “Survivor: San Juan del Sur” is currently slated to premiere on Wednesday, September 24, there are some major new developments that could keep that from happening as a result of approximately twenty editors for the CBS series walking off of the job.

According to Deadline, the team has walked off the jobs in hopes of receiving a guild contract with benefits like pension and health care like others in the industry receive. In a statement, Guild President Alan Helm had the following to say:

“This wildly successful program has helped to define the genre of reality television, and editors play a critical role in shaping the show … They seek the same health benefits, pensions, and basic protections that their counterparts elsewhere in the industry have long enjoyed. After 28 successful seasons and 16 Emmy nominations, that doesn’t seem too much to ask.”

While we love our “Survivor” and want it to be back to work on time, these demands do not seem like too much to ask given that many other Mark Burnett-produced shows offer up similar benefits. We are no expert in negotiations, but this feels like a deal that needs to fully get done, and soon. The demands do not seem too extreme, and “Survivor” continually does have some of the best editing in reality TV. Somehow after almost 30 seasons, they continue to find ways to throw us off in regards to what could be coming up at Tribal Council.

While this strike continues, there is also a 30th season of the show being set up for the spring. Anything related to production for this would not be interrupted, but it could also be impacted depending on if this lasts a crazy length of time.

We will have some further updates on this issue moving forward, so stay tuned. Also, be sure to sign up to receive further TV updates via our CarterMatt Newsletter.

Photo: ABC