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The 2000s in America

Survivor

by Angela Harmon

Identification: A competitive reality television show in which a group of people are left to survive in the wilderness

Creator: Charlie Parsons (1958–)

Date: Premiered in 2000

In 2000, Survivor introduced television viewers to a new type of reality programming. The show features participants living in a remote location without access to any luxuries. As they attempt to withstand the elements, they must also compete against their cast mates for a grand prize. The show was popular with viewers and critics, earning an Emmy Award for Outstanding Non-Fiction Program (Special Class) in 2001.

Charlie Parsons, a British television producer best known for his affiliation with the former Planet 24 television production company, developed the idea for Survivor several years before it appeared in the United States. The reality competition first aired in the United States on CBS in May 2000. Parsons and Mark Burnett, a British television producer, became executive producers of the show.

Although each season of Survivor features a different remote location and new participants, the rules of the competition remain the same. Sixteen to twenty contestants live and compete in the wilderness for about thirty days. Besides the contestants, only the host, Jeff Probst, and camera crew are on location. The contestants start with a few tools and some food. They survive by using only what is available to them on the island. Contestants are not allowed any modern conveniences, such as electricity, cell phones, or computers. In the beginning, the group is split into two “tribes” that compete in challenges to win small prizes, such as food or phone access. The winner of the challenges receives immunity from being voted off the island by the other contestants that week. The losing team votes a member of their team off the show. As the show progresses, the two groups merge into one, and individuals compete against one another in the challenges. At the end, the previously voted-off contestants return as members of a council. The council votes off one of the two final participants, and the last remaining contestant receives a $1 million prize. The formula proved popular, and Survivor had aired twenty-five seasons by the fall of 2012.

Impact

In the early 2000s, reality television mainly focused on programs about individual people’s daily lives, such as MTV’s The Real World. The arrival of Survivor, however, changed the format of the genre, and an abundance of competitive reality television shows soon followed. Viewers began passing over scripted television series in favor of new reality competitions for singing, dating, and weight loss, such as American Idol, The Bachelor, and The Biggest Loser.

Further Reading

1 

Conlan, Tara. “Parsons Follows His Nose to Support Talent.” Guardian. Guardian News and Media Ltd., 14 Apr. 2007. Web. 2 Aug. 2012.

2 

Hatch, Richard. 101 Survival Secrets: How to Make $1,000,000, Lose 100 Pounds, and Just Plain Live Happily. New York: Lyons, 2000. Print.

3 

Poniewozik, James. “Reality TV at 10: How It’s Changed Television—and Us.” Time. Time Inc., 22 Feb. 2010. Web. 2 Aug. 2012.

Citation Types

Type
Format
MLA 9th
Harmon, Angela. "Survivor." The 2000s in America, edited by Craig Belanger, Salem Press, 2013. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=2000_0361.
APA 7th
Harmon, A. (2013). Survivor. In C. Belanger (Ed.), The 2000s in America. Salem Press.
CMOS 17th
Harmon, Angela. "Survivor." Edited by Craig Belanger. The 2000s in America. Hackensack: Salem Press, 2013. Accessed September 18, 2025. online.salempress.com.