25 years of Survivor
Reliving the thrill of Survivor Borneo's game-changing finale—and its impact—on its 25th anniversary.
Dear newsletter friends,
A quarter century ago right now, Survivor: Borneo—then just called “Survivor”—started its finale on CBS.
It was a genuinely thrilling two hours, with surprising and shocking moments right up until the end.
I mean, do you remember being absolutely stunned at this moment?
I sure do. That’s why I 🎧 pitched the finale for entry into the TV canon on Extra Hot Great.
I didn’t mention the Bryant Gumbel reunion—so glad they eventually went with Jeff Probst hosting those.
Besides being great television, it also changed Survivor, TV, and the world forever.
The record ratings—only the finale of Friends would beat Survivor’s finale during all of the 2000s!—led to the modern wave of reality TV, and Richard Hatch’s strategy affected all future competitions.
We got so many firsts, for reality TV and Survivor. Among them (from my recaps of that first season):
We also got scandals:
Kelly recently confirmed a producer offered her food
Dirk said under oath that Mark Burnett suggested voting off Stacey and keeping Rudy
Earlier this summer, I 🎧 shared my memories of watching this season 25 years ago.
Do you remember where you were?
I can still remember watching these moments on my 13-inch TV:
Speaking of Rites of Passage, we’ve actually lost three of the 16 players from that season:
B.B. Andersen (2013)
Rudy Boesch (2019)
Sonja Christopher (2024)
Survivor: Borneo has continued to remain in the news and in reality TV’s DNA. And several players have shared more details in the decades since:
I’ve continued to watch and write about and complain about and celebrate and even re-discover Survivor.
Without that wild and unpredictable finale a quarter century ago, I doubt we’d be talking about the show today.
I’m glad we are. And I look forward discussing it with you in the year ahead, for seasons 49 and 50, and everything that follows!
Do you have a great Survivor memory? Reply and let me know, or share in the comments here.
best,
Andy
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