Drama. Everyone loves to watch it on TV; everyone likes to see it around them; everyone prays for it to never happen to them. Drama. I was watching "Survivor" yesterday after midnight and i realised that i wasn't really rooting for any team. instead, i was anticipating the drama.
before even talking about the team challenge, lets just talk about the members of the teams. of course, the celibate boy who is trying to get his life together has to be on the same team as the mesmerising girl who offered to climb the tree. the two oldest contestants are put into the same team as the youngest few of the game. the buff guy with the dreads in the same team as the law student with the specs. oh and who can forget the most essential outfit- skin. the guys are mostly topless while the girls replace bikinis or clothes with their lace underwear.
obviously, alliances have to be made on the first day when people don't know each others' true colours yet. so its a potential source of drama, ain't it? if you decided to do something that was not a group consensus decision, you're betraying their trust. and people would be half likely to readily trust the other members. and you will definitely face this kind of situation.
the game. whichever team wins means that they have good team spirit and are happy with each other and their performance. great. so producers will say "good for them. now lets break them up with a prize". hidden immunity. sounds wonderful. so if you find the immunity and not tell your team mates, are you betraying them in a way?
losers. they hardly need the producers to break them up. but what's the fun in watching people stare at each other with cold icy eyes if you dont have a part in the process? so there is a need for the tribal council. go on vote someone out. defend yourself while degrading another so that the others would vote for another instead of you. but that's not all. this could be a strengthening experience because everyone come together to vote a single person out. "so let us not send that person home. let's create redemption island" let that person breed hostility in the group.
and there we, as viewers, have it. commercially-induced natural drama! doesn't this just want to make you feel like watching more?
