If you’ve read any of my other reviews dealing with the so-called ‘reality TV’, you’ll catch me often saying how proud I am of the fact that I hade never EVER watched an episode of “Survivor.” Granted, it wasn’t the first ‘reality show’ out there, but it was the one that captured the attention of the American public enough to warrant a slew of imitators and offshoots. I’m not sure if I can directly blame the producers of “Survivor” for what was to follow, but they are an easy target. The thing that really gets me about ‘reality TV’ is that I have yet to determine what is funnier. The fact that bottom-feeding producers actually came up with ideas like “The Bachelor”, “The Bachelorette”, “Big Brother”, “Temptation Island”, “The Apprentice” and “The Littlest Groom”, or the idea that millions of Americans were bored (or stupid) enough to watch them.

I’m leaning towards the latter due to some conversations I’ve had with a few friends who believe these ‘reality shows’ are really real, and there is nothing staged. Of course, these are the same people who believe in professional wrestling, the Easter Bunny, low cost lawyers and George W. Bush.

Paramount has decided to release the 1st season of “Survivor” out on DVD, I would assume to test the market and see if the huge audience the show had would be interested in the opportunity to watch it again. I can also see that they might be taking a chance that new viewers might get sucked in, thereby bringing newer ratings builders into the current seasons airing on CBS. I had a tough decision to make when the set arrived in my home. Do I watch it and break my winning streak, or do I move on. I opted to watch it, if for no other reason than to see what all the hoopla was about.

In spite of the fact that nearly everyone in the country has watched “Survivor” in one form or another, I’m going to assume some of you reading this might have felt he same way I did and stayed away. If you are, let me fill you in on the simplicity of the premise. Basically what you have is 16 people taken from all walks of life, and then they are stranded on an island. In this case, the island is near Borneo. They are split into two teams (or ‘tribes’ cause it sounds cooler), and each week they compete in various contests. The winners get rewards (like a slice of pizza or a phone call home) and immunity for their ‘tribe.’ The team that loses the immunity challenge has to vote a member out. This continues until there are only four contestants left. In the end, a council made up of nine former contestants votes for the one winner who goes home with a million dollar prize.

Though I found “Survivor” far more interesting than I initially expected, I did wonder if I would have found it more compelling had I not already know the outcome. Though I hadn’t seen the show before, there was no avoiding all the press it got. The only way I wouldn’t have known who won would have been to spend the last four years in the Arctic Circle with no TV. As for the show as a concept, I will give it credit for creativity and sharp editing. The contests that the producers came up with were often clever, in one case having each contestant build a fire, the challenge being to see who could build the fire high enough to burn through a rope which would hoist their flag. As for the editing, it had to be a challenge to take 40 days worth of footage and whittle it down to a manageable 13 half hour episodes.

However, what I found more fascinating than all the contests and lush scenery, were these contestants. And I don’t mean they were so fascinating as to deserve all the media attention they got after the season ended, after all none of them really have the personality to warrant celebrity status. I actually found myself interested in all the back-stabbing. Glorified Game show or not, for the most part these people were embarrassing examples of the lowest common denominator of our culture. There seemed to be no level low enough to stoop to in order to win. With only one or two exceptions, there wasn’t anyone competing on this show that I would want to have as a friend. If they were, I’d have locks on my pockets and little mirrors built into a pair of glasses so I could see them sneaking up behind me.

Then there was the matter of opinions. All the contestants had opinions about everyone else. This is normal way of life to be sure, but unfortunately we got to hear those opinions. Making matters worse, we got to hear their opinions on life, love, marriage, the Red Sox and who killed JFK (well maybe not the last two, but you get the idea). If anything, it made me realize that though I might have been impressed by how well some of them performed in the physical challenges, they would seriously fail if the challenges required them to think. Some of these ‘gentlemen and ladies’ were downright stupid.

If anything, I will say that I can see why the show might have appealed to so many. There was something for everyone, whether you wanted to see some cool challenges or you have the ‘Jerry Springer’ mentality required to enjoy people lying and cheating to gain another’s trust.

This first season set is made up of 4 discs with all 13 episodes. I knew there was nudity involved, but thankfully the producers of this set wisely chose to keep the blur in to save our eyes (at least on these 4 discs). The set also includes a 5th disc that was previously released that has some of the ‘highlights’ of the season. Unfortunately, the blur factor was taken out and my eyes nearly burned out of my sockets at the site of contestant Richard Hatch’s naked posterior. In the interest of ‘good taste’ however, there were no front shots included (thank you, thank you, thank you).

Never known for being a slouch in the extra features department, Paramount included a look at the contestants prior to being marooned as they headed off to the island, a clip of a Top Ten List from “The Late Show with David Letterman”, and look back at the 1st season with contestants Hatch, Rudy Boesch and Gervase Peterson. There’s also some commentary on a couple of the episode by Hatch, Boesch, Peterson and host Jeff Probst. The 5th disc has a quite a few extra features of its own, including a documentary, profiles of the contestants, a look at the island, and episode summaries. Hardcore fans will eat this stuff up.

I’m glad I finally watched “Survivor”, at least this first season. I now have some good ‘water cooler’ talk, even if it is seriously out of date. I can’t say that I’ve become a ‘fan’ and certainly have no strong desire to watch any of the other seasons (though I might if they become available). From what I know of the subsequent seasons, the producers had to vary the premise to keep it interesting. Plus I would imagine that this first set of contestants would be the most fascinating simply because they really didn’t know what they were getting into. They’re probably the most ‘real’ in their actions, while those that followed had an some idea of what they were in for and came fully prepared to ‘act.’

Host: Jeff Probst
Starring: Richard Hatch, Colleen Haskell, Rudy Boesch, Kelly Wiglesworth, Susan Hawk, Gervase Peterson, Jenna Lewis, Sean Kenniff, Gretchen Cordy, Greg Buis, Sonja Christopher, BB Anderson, Stacey Stillman, Dirk Been, Ramona Gray and Joel Klug
Extras: Commentary on Two Episodes by Jeff Probst, Richard Hatch, Gervase Peterson and Rudy Boesch, “Survivors Leave Los Angeles and Arrive in Borneo” Featurette, “The Late Show with David Letterman” Top Ten List, “A Look Back with Richard, Rudy & Gervase” Featurette, 5th Disc – Previously Released “Survivor Season One: The Greatest and Most Outrageous Moments”
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 5/11/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Survivor: Season 1 a B-.