Survivorfans are already looking forward to the highly anticipated Survivor 50, which is set to be a landmark season for the iconic reality competition series that will feature a cast made up entirely of past Survivor players. Survivor 50 will be the first Returning Player season since the show’s 40th, Survivor: Winners at War – aside from Bruce Perreault of Survivor 44, who returned the following season after becoming the first castaway in Survivor history to be medically evacuated on day one.
Following the success of its first Returning Player season in 2004, Survivor: All-Stars, the reality competition show used to host returning players every 1-4 seasons. Longtime Survivor fans have been missing this format, as Returning Player seasons help Survivor do what it does best – switch things up. As Survivor 47 just came to a close, it’s officially been 20 seasons since one of the best Returning Player twists of all time: Blood vs. Water. With fans wanting more than just a full cast of returning players on a predictable schedule of every ten seasons, it’s time to bring back the Blood vs. Water theme.
‘Survivor: Blood vs. Water’ Upped the Stakes for Returning Players
Season 27 of Survivor was the first to introduce the Blood vs. Water theme. Instead of being made up entirely of past players, Survivor: Blood vs. Water featured one tribe of returning castaways playing against the other, which consisted entirely of their loved ones. This novel twist gave viewers the unique opportunity to see how playing against – and later alongside – a spouse, mother, daughter, or brother causes people to play Survivor differently. As fans know, it can be difficult for castaways to set their emotions aside to play strategically on Survivor. On Survivor: Blood vs. Water, this proved to be nearly impossible.
The Blood vs. Water spin takes some of the most enthralling aspects of Survivor and heightens them, delivering even more uncomfortable conditions for castaways to endure than usual – as they worry over the safety and wellbeing of their loved ones – and featuring strategic gameplay that feels all the more personal. These intense circumstances brought viewers epic Tribal Councils, like when Ciera Eastin became the only contestant to vote out her loved one by voting out her mom, Laura Morett, and compelling character arcs, like when brothers Aras and Vytas Baskauskas found ways to reconcile the long-standing rivalry between them.
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The ‘Survivor: Blood vs. Water’ Twists Brought Fans One of the Most Iconic Winners in the Show’s History
Image via CBS
Not only did Survivor: Blood vs. Water feature returning players and their loved ones, but it also revived the Redemption Island twist seen in earlier seasons – in which players who are voted out are given a chance to earn their way back into the game through a series of challenges. In accordance with the Blood vs. Water theme, players on Survivor’s twenty-seventh season could choose to take their loved one’s place on Redemption Island, effectively voting themselves out of the game. This series of twists led to one of the best Survivor winner stories of all time when Tyson Apostol vowed to win the game on behalf of his then-girlfriend (now wife), Rachel Foulger, who was voted out early on in a targeted play against Tyson. Those on the loved ones’ tribe who organized Rachel’s blindside hoped that Tyson would opt to take her place, resulting in a major strategic threat leaving the game. Instead, Tyson stuck around, proceeding to play the most strategically impressive of his four Survivor games and ultimately winning the title of Sole Survivor on Rachel’s behalf.
Survivor: Blood vs. Water was hands down one of the most exciting seasons in the show’s history, bringing a specific type of intensity that can’t be found in any other Survivor twist. Fans of the show want more returning player seasons and would love the chance to see some New Era favorites – like Dee Valladares, Charlie Davis, or Carolyn Wiger – play alongside their loved ones. All that is to say, it’s time for another Blood vs. Water season of Survivor.
A reality show where a group of contestants are stranded in a remote location with little more than the clothes on their back. The lone survivor of this contest takes home a million dollars.
Release Date
May 31, 2000
Cast
Jeff Probst
Survivor is available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.
Images via CBS
Image via CBS
English (US) ·