Survivor season 37: What we’d like to see in regards to theme, cast

We know that tonight, Survivor season 37 will probably be announced a little more formally to go along with its theme and maybe a few other odds and ends. Is that exciting? Sure, but we want to spend a minute here discussing a few things the CBS should consider as we move forward into one of the longest-running franchises on television.

For starters, Survivor needs to consider some sort of location change. While technically season 37 has already filmed, we would like to see eventually the show shift back away from Fiji, Samoa, or any other familiar locale and over towards somewhere new. We are perfectly aware of the logistical reasons behind parking largely in one place, including that it’s easier on the crew and that there may not be many other viable locations left. Yet, a big part of our enjoyment of the game for so many years was seeing people react to different environments and getting a larger understanding of the world. Really since around season 19, it feels like much of that has been sapped out of the game. It was maybe there a little bit in Nicaragua, Cambodia, and the Philippines, but not too much otherwise.

Think back to Survivor: Africa, Gabon, Tocantins, Thailand, or The Amazon. While these may not be out favorite overall seasons necessarily (we do contend that Gabon is vastly underrated as a glorious trainwreck), we do think that there is a lot to take away from them in terms of natural beauty and extending this show beyond just a game of strategy. If that’s all we want out of Survivor, there are other places where you can get that. What makes this show so wonderful is its sense of scale, and even if it was just for two or three seasons out of the next ten, we hope that producers consider that.

One favorable thing that season 36 did that should be continued is allowing for the cast to be a little less gimmicky and about fitting into a theme. It was nice to see two diverse, interesting tribes from the start this season rather than them all being thrown into a box of archetypes. Also, no returning players. What made some of the returning player seasons a little more tolerable in the first 20 seasons is that there were fewer of them. We think doing one every four years or so works, but at the moment it’s only been a year since Survivor: Game Changers came on the air.

As for twists…

We would probably scrap some of the extra votes/advantages that make it difficult to track vote tallies for viewers watching on the fly. We’d encourage a different twist like a way to encourage tribe defections or more pre-merge individual immunity challenges. Find a way to make the early part of the game a little more nuanced, given that players aren’t inclined to play their big advantages early and episodes 3-6 tend to be the worst of most recent seasons.

Related – Preview tonight’s big finale further

Moving into Survivor season 37, are there some elements of the game you would adjust? Share right now in the comments!

Meanwhile, be sure to like CarterMatt on Facebook to book other news, reviews, and more related to Survivor. (Photo: CBS.)