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NEWS > ENTERTAINMENT > MSNBC DECLARES NEWEST SEASON OF SURVIVOR THE WORST YET
MSNBC DECLARES NEWEST SEASON OF SURVIVOR THE WORST YET
October 8 2009
Los Angeles, CA – There’s little debating that ‘Survivor’ has been a phenomenon for the ages now that it enters its 19th season. Of course that wasn’t assured when the show debuted in 2000, a time in which reality programming was largely shunned and
ridiculed. Survivor though not only thrived in that environment, it helped to change it and in doing spawned the hundreds of imitators that have come afterwards. Of course, nine years is a long time for any television series to air and, according to insiders at MSNBC, the show is beginning to show its age.
According to a report on the network’s website ‘Survivor Samoa’ is the worst season yet for the long running series, filled with an underwhelming villain, poorly thought out challenges, and clumsily executed schemes not worthy of the series history. Though far from conclusive, the MSNBC investigation does carry a great deal of weight because of the network’s influence both in the television world 
and beyond. The story has also carried over to other outlets including Newsweek, bringing even more attention to the issue and even more pressure to the show’s producers.
“Survivor Samoa” has focused, to an almost comically myopic degree, on Russell Hantz, who has been billed since well before the season as the most evil villain the show has ever seen. Long stretches of the first three episodes have been spent showing interviews in which Russell says the same things over and over again: He is in charge. He is running the game. Everyone trusts him. His word is law. The problem is that there's very little evidence to back him up,” wrote Linda Holmes on MSNBC’s website. “The second episode featured a poorly-thought-out challenge that had a more obvious tendency to injure people than 
perhaps anything they've ever done. They've had wrestling before, but this wasn't wrestling — it was no-holds barred tackling, kicking, and punching. Measured wrestling is something the show has done plenty of times, but all-out assault challenges with an Ultimate Fighting-like lack of rules are just foolish.”
Foolish or not the show continues to bring in the viewers, something which has continued to amaze critics and fans alike, year in and year out.
“There really has never been anything like ‘Survivor’ before and likely there never will be again. For any show to last nine seasons is incredibly impressive but for it to do so and retain such high ratings and without any kind of consistency in the cast or quality is even more impressive which makes it all the more amazing that they are struggling in this season,” said Scrape TV Entertainment analyst Tracey Temple. “There’s no evidence yet that the struggle with quality has affected the ratings but that may not last. There are limitations to people’s patience even amongst fans of ‘Survivor’ and that may mean major issues for the producers in the long term but could of course act as a impetus to prove themselves once again.”
The MSNBC expose also claimed that the immunity idol was lazily hidden and that villain, Russell Hantz, is largely inept and unintelligent.
“Really this could be a watershed moment for the series. From this point on the series will never be the same one way or the other. They can either sink in this experience or they can swim and take the series to all new heights,” continued Temple. “This is the kind of journalism that so rarely happens in the internet age. It cuts deep and tells the real story. It doesn’t allow the people involved to get off easily and that can only mean good things, however difficult it might be at the moment, for the producers and fans of the show. Bravo MSNBC.”
Reportedly the network is planning an in-depth investigation into the newest season of ‘Two and Half Men’ which has removed much of the depth from the character of Charlie Harper, played by Charlie Sheen.
Samantha Dryden, Entertainment Correspondent
NEWS > ENTERTAINMENT > MSNBC DECLARES NEWEST SEASON OF SURVIVOR THE WORST YET
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