Can Survivor Last Beyond Season 20?
Fans Wondering if CBS and Probst Will Keep Survivor’s Torch Burning
Jun 20, 2009
CBS’ long-running reality series Survivor is at an interesting turning point, as its spot in the network’s primetime schedule and host/producer Jeff Probst’s contract are set to expire after Season 20. The nineteenth edition is currently filming on the island of Upolu in Samoa and will conclude in July. Then, for the first time ever, Season 20 will begin filming after just a short break rather than a two-and-a-half month hiatus. What will happen after that is anyone’s guess.
Another 10 Years of Survivor?
While Probst appears uncertain about whether or not he’ll renew his contract, creator and executive producer Mark Burnett seems optimistic about the show’s future. In a recent interview with Fancast, he claimed that Survivor has the potential to last another 10 years. “Survivor is untouchable on Thursdays at eight,” Burnett said; “Everything that’s thrown at it, they don’t come close. If a show stays on, it stays on. America’s Most Wanted has been on for 20 years, there’s no reason Survivor won’t be on for 20 years.”
Ratings
Survivor still performs remarkably well for a show entering its nineteenth season, averaging 12.86 million viewers in the most recent season, and although ratings have continued to erode at a steady rate every season, this trend is not unique only to Survivor. But Survivor, like most reality shows, is cheaper to produce than scripted dramas and it has consistently performed at the top of its prime Thursday 8 p.m. time slot.
Probst Won’t Commit
So if Survivor does remain a part of CBS’ primetime schedule beyond Season 20, the obvious question is whether or not Probst will extend his contract. In a June 15th interview with Andy Dehnart of RealityBlurred.com, Probst was noncommittal about whether he would stay as host. As fans will recall, he had similar feelings after Season 12, when his last contract expired, but agreed to sign on for four more years. He also may be trying to get more money by appearing as if he won’t re-sign.
While most fans agree that Probst is an integral part of the show, many feel that he’s become too involved lately, over-narrating the challenges and bludgeoning contestants at Tribal Council, even pushing the Fang tribe to choose a leader in Episode 1 of Survivor: Gabon – a position that nobody wanted to take on and that ultimately impacted one contestant’s longevity in the game, Danny “G.C.” Brown, when he relinquished the title that he didn’t want in the first place.
Next Step for Probst
Probst insists that he’s still having fun hosting Survivor, but at times it’s hard to tell. He is clearly looking into other ventures, and is producing a new upcoming reality series Live for the Moment along with Burnett. Live for the Moment is a new reality format in which individuals with terminal illnesses will be given the opportunity to live out an unfulfilled dream or wish in each episode.
Having already shot the pilot episode earlier this year, Probst insists that CBS is excited about the show and that it is about celebrating life, not death. "It's the best thing I've ever been a part of. It's so inspirational and so positive, I really believe it’s time for the show,” he said.
So with this new project on Probst’s agenda, will he still have time for Survivor? Or is he just plain tired of it? Fans are anxious to find out about the future of reality television’s number one program, but it will likely be another few months before CBS makes any official announcements. It wasn’t until late-February of this year that seasons 19 and 20 were green-lighted by CBS, so for now, all we can do is wait.
But Mark Burnett has spoken, and if the words of the man behind the show are any indication, then Survivor can survive beyond Season 20.
For more information about Survivor filming consecutively in Samoa, see my previous article “Survivor Ramping Up For Back-to-Back Seasons.”
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