Survivorhas been on the air since 2000, yet people still ask,“That show’s still on?“In its heyday,Survivorreceived some Emmy Award love, but recently,RuPaul’s Drag Racehas dominated the category forOutstanding Reality-Competition Program. IfJeff Probstand companycontinue leaning into the human elements of the contestants,Survivormay have a shot in the dark to winEmmygold and dethrone the current queen of reality.
RuPaul’s Drag Racewon its fifth PrimetimeEmmy AwardforOutstanding Reality-Competition Program. It’s currently seated in second place when it comes to the most overall wins by a specific show, asThe Amazing Raceholds the title with ten victories.Since its inception in 2003, the category has honored an assortment of shows with nominations, but aside from the previously mentioned,The Voice,Top Chef, andLizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrlsare the only shows to have won the prize. For the show with one of the longest tenures on television,Survivorhas never won.Host Jeff Probsthas been able to earn some votes from theEmmyTribal Council, but the program itself hasn’t received any love.Only this year didSurvivorreceive its first nomination in the category since 2006.Reality television showscome and go, butSurvivorhas remained present and consistent. What has changed is the desire to lean into the real stories of their contestants. IfSurvivorcontinues to bring to light the emotional and powerful human interest narratives, they might have a chance to win. It’s part of the winning formula forRuPaul’s Drag Race, the show that has dominated the Emmys since the nominators recognized the show.
A reality show where a group of contestants are stranded in a remote location with little more than the clothes on their back. The lone survivor of this contest takes home a million dollars.
‘Survivor’ Must Lean Into the Human Interest Stories Like ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ to Have a Chance
Part ofRuPaul’s Drag Race’s recipe for success is having a reality competition show that is part talent competition andpart celebration of art and the LGBTQ+ community. The format has allowed host and show namesake RuPaul to interact with their contestants and allow their stories to take center stage.Drag Racehas been a platform to share stories. FromWillow Pill’sdiscussion about their experience with cystinosis toOngina’sdramatic reveal about their HIV-positive status toMonica Beverly Hillzsharing they were a transgender woman, no matter the story, they pulled at the heartstrings.These stories allowedRuPaul’s Drag Raceto go beyond the reality television norms and give viewers a glimpse of the person behind the paint.Viewers of the show joke that this is how the program baitedEmmyrecognition, but at the end of the day, it worked!In the new era ofSurvivor, similar human interest stories have entered the edit.
The New Era ofSurvivorhas proudly been part ofCBS’s Diversity Initiative, where 50% of the reality cast must be Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BPOC). The diverse casting has brought forth incredible and important conversations that Survivor has never really touched before. OnSurvivor 42, after a Black castaway was voted out during a split Tribal Council, contestantsDrea Wheelerand season winnerMaryanne Oketchdiscussed the discomfort of seeing the first two jurors being Black. They in turn played their respective idols to ensure that another Black player would not be voted out. The conversation was bigger than the game and broughtSurvivorto another level beyond strategy and gameplay. And this all came on the heels of the Campout Alliance on Survivor 41, a final-four pact that bonded the four Black contestants who were playing for representation.Moments like these never found this type of platform in previous seasons ofSurvivor.By taking the time to inform and educate the viewers on how important these real human moments were onSurvivorand the current climate in the world.
‘Survivor 45’ Was a Landmark Season
This season of firsts signals a new era for the historic franchise
For the 2023 Emmy Awards,Survivorwas recognized for the work ofSurvivor 43andSurvivor 44.Both seasons featured incredible human interest stories as they both happened to be character and socially-driven seasons.OnSurvivor 43,Mike Gabler, a Green Beret, took his million-dollar prize as the winner and donated it all to various veteran organizations. While his story occurred at the tail end of the season,Survivor 43showcased the likes ofJesse Lopez, a former gang member in the juvenile hall turned PhD carrier, as he played proving second chances do exist, andNoelle Lambert,an AmericanParalympian, who overcame obstacles and showed no matter the physical limitations in a challenge, there is no such thing as giving up.Survivor 44was won byYam Yam Arocho,a gay Latino who played one of the most brilliant social gamesSurvivorhas seen. His story proved that kindness can triumph. The season showcased anotherstory of hope fromCarolyn Wigler, who previously battled drug and alcohol addiction. She came to the show as a sober single mom and empowered her fellow castaways and viewers alike.
Through the power of editing,Survivorintroduced off-camera backstories via confessional and photographs.The viewers got a glimpse inside the person on the beach in a way that the program had never truly tapped into before. By bringing this into the narrative story,Survivoris borrowing a successful trait that has helped define the social powerRuPaul’s Drag Racebrings into their show. Allowing the viewers to learn more about the person behind the castaway has givenSurvivoran opportunity to expand past the shocking blindsides and learn the objectives of the individuals.
Can Jeff Probst Connect to the Castaway Like RuPaul Connects With the Queens?
For those who watch bothSurvivorandRuPaul’s Drag Race, some moments DragRacefans are very familiar with have infiltrated their way into Jeff’s interviews at Tribal Council.Jeff has a way of probing the castaways into discussing their feelings in a way similar to how RuPaul invites their finalists to advise their younger selves.While the lexicon is slightly different, the sentiment is the same. Jeff has found a way to ask the castaways to battle their own inner saboteurs, a catchphrase that RuPaul tirelessly drops into conversations with their queens.
Both Jeff Probst and RuPaul have a passion for bringing out the best in their contestants. And interestingly, both hosts have had their hand at hosting their own talk shows.The slight difference between both hosts is RuPaul’s life experience is similar to the queens onDrag Racein that they can find common ground.Survivorhas such a diverse cast of characters with varying life experiences that he is there to elevate a story rather than relate to it. If Jeff follows the path that RuPaul has successfully set and subtly drops them intoSurvivor, Jeff Probst might be hoisting up an Emmy Award on behalf ofSurvivor.
As winnerDee Valladarescontinually stated onSurvivor 45, she was out there playing for her family, who she says is the definition of the American Dream.Drag Raceis well-known for bringing visibility to the screen.Survivors havefound the impact on the importance of visibility. AndEmmynominators have taken notice.Survivorhas always been one of the greatest social experiments. It strands strangers on a beach and forces them to build a community as one. In this New Era ofSurvivor, the template has been amplified to learn just how the greatest social experiment ticks and has thus madeSurvivoran even better show. IfSurvivormarries its current iteration with elements of their past, they just might be able to dethroneRuPaul’s Drag Raceand fortify its supremacy as the OG reality TV show.
Season 46 of Survivor premieres August 07, 2025, on CBS. All episodes of Survivor 45 are available for streaming on Paramount+.
