Episode 14: Closing out Survivor 47!

Published: December 23, 2024

Survivor 47 ended well, even if the final result seemed obvious going in, because the contestants made it a real battle, although the non-Rachel ones were unable to forestall the inevitable. A solid ending to one of the better new-era seasons. Even so, a few things could still be improved in the format. Let's discuss.

Episode 13: It's semifinale week on Survivor 47!

Published: December 15, 2024

With all the voting out complete on Survivor 47, it feels a bit weird that there's still one elimination left, plus the jury vote. Why was the season split this way? An answer that attempts to complete the season's edit puzzle.

Episode 12: Could Andy actually win now?

Published: December 8, 2024

Sometimes a Survivor episode is so well put together, a seamless synthesis of strategy and storytelling, that everyone loves it. "Operation: Italy," Episode 12 of Survivor 47, is exactly that. A taut, perilous heist film that actually pans out, despite ridiculous odds of somebody catching on and everything falling apart.

Episode 11: Rachel's big episode

Published: December 1, 2024

As Survivor 47 episodes go, Episode 11 didn't have a ton of mystery - once Rachel won the IC, it was pretty clear Kyle was headed to the jury. Despite that, there was still fun to be had, particularly from of all the places the journey. It was also an episode that dramatically raised Rachel's profile as a player.

Episode 10: Live by the edit, die by the edit

Published: November 23, 2024

It took five post-merge episodes to get there, but Episode 10 of Survivor 47 finally had everyone cast votes, and the biggest alliance was fractured, and the contestants also managed to dismantle an unwelcome New Era twist by collectively abandoning a nearly useless New Era trinket. Power shifting all around! (Plus how the editing shapes our view of contestants.)

Episode 9: Think big, Survivor

Published: November 18, 2024

In Episode 9 of Survivor 47, a fan favorite character joined the jury after a chaotic strategic scramble. While the ending was exciting, getting there through all the production-laid hurdles was tiring, if pretty to look at. How to fix that? Read on.

Episode 8: Get ready to get happy

Published: November 11, 2024

Episode 8 of Survivor 47 brought back the fan-favorite auction (in new era shackles), and featured some brilliant emergent gameplay, with Rachel making use of her Shot in the Dark to assess whether she needed to play her idol. It was a struggle between tribes for dominance, and a struggle for the show to shave off some of its new era excesses.

Episode 7: Turning back time

Published: November 2, 2024

It's the merge! Everyone has purple buffs! But despite all that, Episode 7 of Survivor 47 sent the Tuku tribe back to Tribal Council, where their pre-merge power dynamics returned to control the vote. All because of a dumb twist, designed to impede the players from actually playing.

Episode 6: Fiddling while Rome burns

Published: October 27, 2024

Survivor 47's not-quite-merge episode was enjoyable, thanks in part to almost the entire 13-member tribe being eligible to vote against and able to cast a vote. A defense of bringing that back, and a look back at the foreshadowing in the premiere.

Episode 5: Pay attention to this twist, not that one

Published: October 20, 2024

Survivor 47 trotted out some pretty heavy-handed misdirection with its Episode 5-opening twist (two teams, not two tribes), but it mostly turned out for the best, as seven castaways were allowed to mingle and chat while eating exactly one hot dog apiece. Better than having their votes yanked away, at least.

Episode 4: Collusions of grandeur

Published: October 13, 2024

The fourth episode of Survivor 47 delivered just the right blend of cringe comedy and strategic maneuvering, as multiple contestants overestimated their abilities, while one previously hidden player emerged to seize control of the vote.

Episode 3: The evolution of New Era strategy

Published: October 6, 2024

Episode 3 of Survivor 47 showed the six-person Lavo tribe deciding on an outcome much the same as we saw in the premiere. They kept the more volatile player that had irritated/worried everyone, and jettisoned a capable strategist/superfan instead. A look at how six-person tribes, a single-use idol, and an advantage made that inevitable.

Episode 2: A massive peacocking display

Published: September 29, 2024

A look at the many ways the men of Survivor 47 appeared to mostly be digging their own graves (/ idol box-hiding holes) in Episode 2. Did Jeff Probst request a Q for every tribe this season?

Episode 1: A fun but still flawed seventh New Era premiere

Published: September 23, 2024

The Survivor 47 premiere did a lot of things well: It delivered another aggressively game-savvy all-new cast, and slightly pared back the tentpole Events that have cluttered New Era kickoffs. But those steps forward were shackled by a new, even more complex idol-finding mechanism that all but siloed off two of the contestants in their own mini-shows.