How ‘Survivor’ 41 Cut One Of The Show’s Oldest Traditions
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Survivor has been running for 22 years now in the US. That makes it one of the longest-running shows in history. Throughout that time on-air they’ve consistently changed the formula. Whether that’s rule changes, twists, new themes, new locations, or a plethora of other things. It is no secret that Jeff Probst and the other producers of the show like to keep the game fluid. They ensure one season is never identical to the other.
It’s rare for things NOT to change in the game, but some things do permeate every season. This is why fans were very confused at the lack of one of Survivor‘s longest-standing traditions not appearing in Season 41: The family visit. Theories flew all around as to why the sentimental reunion moment that’s been brought back for every season was missing this time around. But recently one of the season’s premier castaways, Ricard, made a surprising statement on his Twitter regarding the missing segment.
No Family Visit?
SPOILERS AHEAD:
Ricard says in the tweet that he believes the editing of the season would be different were he to have won. Amongst other things, he said he believes the family visit would have been included if he’d won because it is more of an emotional moment for him than it is for Erika.
Obviously, the biggest shock of that tweet, which Ricard seems to mention only in passing, is that there was, in fact, a loved one’s visit. According to Ricard, a handful of winners of the reward challenge in Episode 10 received video messages from home. Erika was not among the winners of said reward challenge. So the family messages didn’t make it to air to protect Erika’s edit, according to Ricard.
Survivor Editing Shenanigans
The way Survivor edits its castaways has long been the subject of scrutiny. It’s understandable to want the winner of the show you’re putting on to be likeable, sympathetic, and to have a great story. But the issue is hardcore fans who watched the season felt that Erika didn’t get nearly a strong enough edit. She and her strongest ally Heather were nearly invisible until well after the post-merge. Heather remained unseen until her unfortunate loss to Deshawn at a fire-making challenge. And Erika still wasn’t shown nearly as frequently as her fellow finalists Ricard, Xander, and Deshawn.
So the omission of a family visit for the sake of Erika’s edit feels even more confusing when considering how rough of an edit she received regardless. But more than anything, it’s one of Survivor‘s most ever-present rewards for a reason. Family visits and messages are always emotionally poignant. It’s rare for a family visit to not have one tear-jerking moment. Fans love it and only hope to see it make a return in every season in the future.
Survivor Season 41 is available for streaming on Paramount Plus.