In Survivor: Winners at War, a lot of things remain unclear on a week-to-week basis. After being hit with an extortion disadvantage that requires him to pay six fire tokens, Tony has to borrow three tokens from three different tribe mates to make the payment. In the following segment, Tony immediately wins two tokens at the immunity challenge. Which of the two people did he pay back? The show doesn\u2019t mention it. When Parvati and Natalie get their six tokens from Tony, the show doesn\u2019t tell us if they split them evenly, or what their strategy was for using them. This is one of the many times this season when the game is overrun by information, and the show simply doesn\u2019t have time to tell us everything that\u2019s going on. <\/span><\/p>\n Well that\u2019s exactly what happened in my head while writing this. These are extra pieces of information that I think are interesting and important to the history of Survivor, but that I simply didn\u2019t have room for in what was already an 8000 word piece that ended up in my book. I don\u2019t know why you\u2019re reading this, but thank you for sharing my obsession.<\/span><\/p>\n Survivor is, to put it mildly, an extremely conservative show. It is aired on the most conservative broadcast network, and often plays into outdated historical binaries (like Heroes vs. Villains) that make little sense in the modern age. After twelve seasons of being criticized for a lack of minority representation throughout the casts, Survivor\u2019s response was to start its Cook Islands season by splitting up its four tribes by ethnicity<\/i>, a decision that was lambasted in the press and questioned by its own contestants, including eventual winner Yul Kwon in his first confessional interview, and Parvati Shallow in hers.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDifferent ethnic groups,\u201d Parvati says. \u201cI mean is that\u2026 kosher? I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Cook Islands is Parvati Shallow\u2019s first season, and it is not her best-played season by any means. Her strategy is initially to play on her charms, and use her flirtatious personality to build an alliance to protect her that she can then turn on later in the game. When her alliance loses its dominance, Parv\u2019s fate is cemented, and she comes in sixth place. Like so many skilled Survivors before her, she gets unlucky.<\/span><\/p>\n But the show also does her a disservice, and the way she is edited feels like it views her as a one-dimensional flirt. Since Parv is a traditionally attractive woman, the show tends to hone in on moments when she is cuddling up to fellow contestants, and features multiple slow close-up pans of her body as she lies in the sun. Later seasons would prove this was all a part of a larger, more skilled plan from Parv that the Survivor producers simply couldn\u2019t see at the time. To them, she\u2019s simply there to fall in line as one of the season\u2019s \u201chot chicks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n When women are bathing in Survivor, particularly early seasons, the way the camera lingers on their bodies is (obviously, this is a reality show) pretty gross. Most traditionally attractive women on the show are treated as little more than that, and that includes the winner of season six, Jenna Morasca. Sometimes these women play into the roles the producers throw them into, as Jenna and Heidi do when they strip naked in return for chocolate and peanut butter, but they only do so because Jeff Probst is able to turn their jokes into a real offer in the middle of a challenge, and egg them on to get them to accept it.<\/span><\/p>\n In the after show of Survivor: Australian Outback, Bryant Gumbel questions Amber Brkich and Elisabeth Filarski\u2019s decision to wear bikinis that cover (slightly) more of their bodies than predecessor Colleen Haskell did. Both Amber and Elisabeth say that yes, they did choose to do that because they saw the way Colleen was captured and hoped to change it, if only a bit. Unsurprisingly, it didn\u2019t really work, and the show kept filming women this way, and in the thirteenth season the producers chose Parv as one of the bodies they wanted to linger on with no regard for her mind.<\/span><\/p>\n In Parv\u2019s second appearance, in the show\u2019s sixteenth season Survivor: Micronesia, the gimmick is that a tribe of the show\u2019s fans will be competing against a tribe of favourites. Allegedly, Parvati was not included in the collection of favourites initially, only being given an offer to appear on the season after fellow Cook Islands participant Candice Woodcock declined. As the tribe of favourites is introduced one by one in front of the fans in the premiere episode, Parv gets almost no response when she walks out, leading her to turn to Jeff Probst and sarcastically say, \u201cThank you, Jeff.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The show\u2019s alleged preference of Candice over Parvati is indicative of how the show views women. Candice is maybe one of the most boring, uninteresting contestants in the history of Survivor, but since she looks like somebody who could compete in a Miss America pageant and isn\u2019t aggressively annoying, Survivor views her as a favourite. Candice never shows a real strategy, and the strategy she does choose is so weak that she doesn\u2019t make it far after the merge. When she did return for Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Candice\u2019s performance is similarly uninspiring. But she is a woman who falls in line and chooses the path of least resistance, so Survivor loves her. Parv is viewed as less of a favourite because her style of gameplay was viewed as one-dimensional in Cook Islands, again though only because of a combination of luck and the show\u2019s edit of her.<\/span><\/p>\n Is Parv open about her strategy? Yes. She says that she is trying to flirt her way to a certain point, and in Survivors: Heroes vs Villains the way she rolls down her already very small bikini to make it even smaller can only be a further strategic move to help her continue to be underestimated. In Survivor, being flirtatious only gets you so far, and Parv knows this. At some point, you have to be able to operate as an individual to win Survivor, and Parv is more than capable of doing so if the necessary elements break right.<\/span><\/p>\n In Micronesia, Parv once again begins her alliance by flirting with James Clement, and the two team up to form an alliance with Amanda Kimmel and Ozzy Lusth. This carries them to the merge, where Parv initiates the blindside of presumptive finalist Ozzy almost immediately, beginning a run of four consecutive blindsides.<\/span><\/p>\n Parv is not the central figure in all of these blindsides, but she is prominently involved in each of them, and she knocks over the first, most important domino. The Black Widow alliance is a group of five women that becomes four once Amanda and Parv turn on Alexis, and eventually three for Parv, Cirie, and Amanda as was always Parv\u2019s plan from day one in the Favourites tribe. When Amanda wins the final immunity challenge, she brings her friend Parv with her to the final two, viewing Cirie as a bigger threat to win.<\/span><\/p>\n At the final tribal council, Parv gives a great performance answering the jury\u2019s questions, a skill Amanda simply does not have. Parv has shattered Ozzy too much to ever get his vote (he also confesses his love for Amanda at the same tribal council) and similarly insulted James, but it seems like she wins the votes of the people who are on the fence. Parvati is crowned the winner with a vote of 5-3, being rewarded for gameplay as opposed to Amanda\u2019s focus on remaining likeable.<\/span><\/p>\n One thing that hasn\u2019t been touched on here, and what helped her in this jury vote, is that Parv is a truly charming television personality. She is more engaging than most, possibly all of, Survivor\u2019s contestants. When discussing her in Heroes vs. Villains, Coach says \u201cShe\u2019s got the charm, she\u2019s got the smile, and for some reason when she pays attention to you, you feel like you light up. It\u2019s not that people don\u2019t see it, it\u2019s just that they are allured by her charm. And they\u2019re taken by it. They\u2019re smitten by it. It\u2019s unbelievable.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Randy Bailey says something similar in an interview, saying that \u201cSurvivor in so many ways is like the real world. You don\u2019t get ahead by being smart, clever, hard-working. You get ahead unfortunately with a pretty smile and being able to schmooze people. And Parvati is the queen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n In Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Parv aligns with Russell Hantz on day one. As opposed to the other contestants, nobody has any information about how Russell will play the game as his previous season hadn\u2019t aired when production on Heroes vs. Villains begins. Opposed to the other alliances formed in this season, Parv is flying blind. But the people around her are also somehow still flying blind to her own skills.<\/span><\/p>\n Later in the season, JT gives Russell the hidden immunity idol he found, as a way to build trust and form an alliance with Russell, who seems to be controlling (and definitely believes he is controlling) the game. At the first individual immunity challenge, Parv and another player she is in an alliance with, Danielle, are the last two standing in an endurance contest. Parv steps down voluntarily, knowing Danielle needs to win to stay alive. Russell believes Parv is in trouble, so he gives his hidden immunity idol to Parvati to protect her (and protect Russell\u2019s own alliance), totally unaware that Parv has found a hidden immunity idol of her own. <\/span><\/p>\n Even though Parv is told by Amanda, a member of the Heroes alliance, that the Heroes are going to vote her out, Parvati believes a lie is afoot. At tribal council, the Heroes direct their votes at Jerri, but Parv plays both immunity idols to protect Jerri Manthey and Sandra Diaz-Twine while making the gamble of leaving herself exposed. Russell is visibly surprised that Parv both has a second idol, and isn\u2019t playing either for herself.<\/span><\/p>\n Parv guesses right, and nullifies the Heroes votes, sending JT home. As he realizes he\u2019s going home, JT shakes Russell\u2019s hand, believing Russell to have been the mastermind of his elimination. Incorrect. Parv manipulated Russell into giving her an idol, she found one of her own, she (by being good enough in the challenge to be one of the final two standing) allowed Danielle to win immunity, and then gave immunity to two other tribe mates to strengthen her alliance. It\u2019s a truly epic Survivor move, and it is indicative of Parv\u2019s mis-categorization that JT shakes the wrong person\u2019s hand on his way out the door. Parv ends up being the runner-up in this season, losing to the person who became the first two-time winner of Survivor, Sandra Diaz-Twine.<\/span><\/p>\n Even though Sandra has an additional win on Parvati, I believe Parv is the greatest Survivor player of all time. Her skills in challenges are underrated, she is cunning, and she is able to adapt to the new gimmicks Survivor throws at her. Sandra should be considered the runner-up as greatest player ever, but the combination of Parv\u2019s adaptability to new gimmicks, manipulation as the game changes around her, and physicality (as the game has gotten more physical with time) make her a true threat in any era of Survivor\u2019s history, be it the past, present, or future. When Sandra and Parv are eliminated on the same episode of Winners at War, it\u2019s worth noting that Sandra quits the game while Parv chooses to keep fighting from Extinction Island. Randy might have meant it derisively, but Parvati Shallow is indeed the queen.<\/span><\/p>\n At the beginning of Heroes vs. Villains, when the Heroes and Villains see who their opposition is after helicopters drop them on their beach, Jeff drops some interview questions that reflect the show\u2019s further disrespect of the greatest player of all-time. As he is interviewing Tom Westman, and complimenting him on being a winner people rooted for, Jeff says \u201cwhich isn\u2019t always the case with some of our winners\u201d as the image cuts to a shot of Parv. When Jeff asks if anybody on the beach believes they\u2019re on the wrong tribe, multiple villains\u2019 hands shoot up, and Parv speaks up.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat did we do? What did we do that was so bad, Jeff?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cParvati, let\u2019s be clear.\u201d Jeff responds. \u201cWhile you did a great job and were awarded with a million dollars, you lead one of the most notorious tribe of women ever in the history of the game. You betrayed people left and right. You guys were responsible for many, many blindsides. Great player? Yes, that\u2019s why you\u2019re here. Hero? No.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Jeff asks the muscular James, who was betrayed by Parv in Micronesia, if Parv is a hero or villain. James, naturally, chooses the latter. Jeff says \u201cJames is bigger than me, James is right.\u201d Parvati\u2019s response? \u201cI will fight him\u2026 I\u2019m not scared of him. I don\u2019t care how big you are.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n You can throw whatever gimmicks, challenges, villains, heroes, idols, judgment, misclassification, and institutional sexism you want at Parvati Shallow. She will use it all against you, seemingly without your knowledge. No matter what, she will fight back.<\/span><\/p>\n Survivor is hosted by Jeff Probst, who is good at his job. When the Emmy for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program was created, Probst won each of its first four years. (He hasn\u2019t been nominated since his last win in 2011, not that he was undeserving.)<\/span><\/p>\n There are many things that make Probst good at his job: he is funny when he needs to be, engaging when he needs to deliver the drier rules and explanations involved in Survivor, and because he is good at prying information and confessions out of contestants at Tribal Council. He also looks like somebody who could be good at playing Survivor, which for some reason strikes me as a positive.<\/span><\/p>\n One can criticize Probst for many things, most of which are criticisms of the show itself. He often falls into an old school sort of sexism; he often doesn\u2019t seem to realize (again, this goes for the show as well) when he\u2019s counting out women or talking about their physical abilities (or lack thereof) too much. There are moments where he has acted in a way I would describe as repulsive, specifically in handling the moment when Sue Hawk quit All-Stars. Probst missed what Richard Hatch did to her in the previous day\u2019s challenge, and when Hawk was emotionally breaking down and decided to leave the show, Probst was combative instead of supportive.<\/span><\/p>\n Perhaps most impressively, in Game Changers, there\u2019s a truly shocking moment where Jeff Varner outs Zeke Smith as transgender at a tribal council, with Varner\u2019s implication being that since he hasn\u2019t told other tribemates Zeke should be seen as deceptive. Debates about whether or not this should have been broadcast at all are valid, and I have no objection to those who think it shouldn\u2019t have been but, as aired, it\u2019s a pretty remarkable conversation that Probst navigates deftly. Given his past history I never would have anticipated Probst would manage this well, let alone manage it well as it happened. <\/span><\/p>\n More recently, Probst has stepped up his skills when dealing with situations that are not easy to deal with. The mishandling of season 39 notwithstanding, Probst\u2019s skills have grown. In a Winners at War tribal, when Sarah Lacina gave a speech about feeling discounted as a Survivor winner for being a woman, Probst admirably called himself out on his treatment of women throughout the twenty years he has held the job. Coming on the heels of seasons 39 I\u2019m sure Probst was looking for a way to do this anyway, and elements of it do feel forced, but handling the moment well when it is given to you still deserves commendation. The show may not have really grown all that much in twenty years, but it\u2019s good to see that at least Jeff can.<\/span><\/p>\n Perhaps the most underrated aspect of the production of Survivor is its ability to make the viewers laugh. A big part of this, of course, happens in casting charming, funny contestants, but the show itself has to manufacture time for these personalities to shine through. In 39 days, with a collection of strangers, there are going to be moments of boredom that people fill with things that end up being funny, and it\u2019s up to the show\u2019s producers and editors to build these into funny segments.<\/span><\/p>\n In the first season, the cast often spends time looking for tapioca, which was planted around the camp before production. In Sue Hawk\u2019s Wisconsin accent, the word \u201ctapioca\u201d is humorous, and when Sue Hawk is cut together saying \u201ctapioca\u201d eleven times in rapid succession, it\u2019s even funnier. Survivor 40 has had a couple similar moments as well, with Sarah\u2019s deadpan explanation of her career as a Survivor clothing designer followed by a brief fashion show at camp which she and Michele Fitzgerald performed humourously in. Earlier in the season, possibly the funniest thing I have ever seen on Survivor happened, as the editors pieced together instances of Nick Wilson walking into conversations with a dead-eyed stare, all of which happened during a pre-tribal council period of paranoia. <\/span><\/p>\n In Survivor: Redemption Island, Phillip Sheppard\u2019s credentials as a former federal agent were questioned every time his name key appeared on screen, as he was credited as \u201cFormer Federal Agent?\u201d question mark and all. In that same season, as David Murphy details Boston Rob\u2019s control over the game at the final tribal council, the producers add a piece of music that is clearly meant to evoke the feeling of a Survivor equivalent to the theme from The Godfather. It\u2019s hilarious.<\/span><\/p>\n In Survivor: Borneo, there was a contestant named Stacey Stillman on the Tagi tribe, and she was the third person voted out in the game. After the season ended, Stillman filed a lawsuit against CBS, alleging that Mark Burnett had engineered her exit out of fears that the vote would otherwise go against the 72-year-old Rudy Boesch (who, after the elimination of Sonja Christopher and BB Andersen, was the only contestant remaining who was over the age of 40). Stillman alleged that Burnett spoke to her tribemates Sean Kenniff and Dirk Been to steer their votes away from Rudy. Been would later testify in support of Stillman, and the case was settled out of court. Should you be interested in the whole rundown, Ianic Roy Richard wrote this comprehensive breakdown back in 2017<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Do I believe Burnett would have done this? Of course. A reality program is constantly being manipulated by its producers, and it\u2019s not hard to imagine Burnett being fearful that his new show was eliminating all the members of a particular age demographic in its early episodes. I believe Stacey Stillman, and I hope she was paid well by CBS for exposing this. It seems likely that Burnett could have done this again throughout the show, and the Stillman case simply lead CBS to write even more detailed non-disclosure agreements for its future casts to sign. I choose to believe the producers tend to hang in the background post-Borneo, influencing the outcome more by selecting which challenges to use depending on the remaining contestants, but logically I know better.<\/span><\/p>\n In 2011, Survivor: Redemption Island introduced its first Edge of Extinction-style location, where eliminated players would have an opportunity to get back in the game. After one person is eliminated, they are sent to Redemption Island, where they await the next eliminated player. Upon the second player\u2019s arrival, there is what Survivor calls a \u201cduel\u201d but is essentially like any other individual immunity challenge. The winner of that duel gets to stay on Redemption Island with the chance to return to the main game, and the loser is officially eliminated from the game. <\/span><\/p>\n The two tribes were made up of all new faces, with one returning player on each tribe: Russell Hantz and Boston Rob. Watching this season, it\u2019s pretty hard to ignore a sneaking suspicion that it is being rigged by the producers to ensure that Boston Rob is finally able to win Survivor. (According to Richard Hatch, it was Hatch who was supposed to have Boston Rob’s spot.)\u00a0As one of the game\u2019s best players, and likely its most famous player, it\u2019s not hard to see the show wanting to make sure their icon would go down a winner of the game. So, they engineer a gimmick that brings back two past non-winners, one of whom is charismatic and generally well-liked and skilled in Boston Rob, and the other is the infamous villain Russell Hantz. Whichever tribe Russell is on would immediately be fearful of him because they have seen him play a sociopathic game in two recent, consecutive seasons, and know he cannot be trusted at all. Unsurprisingly, Russell is voted out almost immediately, and loses his duel, causing him to be eliminated.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"parv\"](\"http:\/\/themacguffinmen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/parv.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nParvati\u2019s True Manipulation<\/span><\/h4>\n
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\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nProbstian Smarminess<\/span><\/h4>\n
Survivor as a Comedy<\/span><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nThe Stacey Stillman Story<\/span><\/h4>\n