Six reasons why 'Survivor' will outlast 'American Idol'
By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Friday, May 15, 2015
'With "American Idol" set to end its 15-year run next year, another reality show that preceded "Idol" on a rival network has managed to quietly outwit, outplay and outlast the venerable but greatly shrunken singing competition.
In 2000, CBS's "Survivor" was a groundbreaking program featuring starving people on a beach scheming their way through alliances and blindsides at tribal councils in hopes of being the last person standing with $1 million in their pocket.
Two years later, "Idol" stole its thunder, courtesy of Simon Cowell's putdowns, cheesy theme nights and small-town singers seeking a shot at stardom.
But "Survivor" was the patient tortoise to the speedy "Idol" hare. "Idol" peaked at 30 million plus viewers a week by season five, then slid over the next decade into obsolescence. The "Idol" season finale last week, featuring New Jersey pop-rock singer Nick Fradiani as the winner, drew a mere 7.7 million overnight viewers, its worst season finale ever.
"Survivor," which once drew 20 million a week itself, thrashed "Idol" head to head in overnight ratings with 9.4 million viewers in its penultimate episode. Its two-hour finale airs tonight, followed by a live post-finale show where the cast for season 31 will be revealed based on your vote. ( Teresa "T Bird" Cooper of Jackson from season 3 is in the running.)
And despite airing two seasons a year to just one for "Idol," "Survivor" has been less prone to burnout.
We talked to several experts and fans of both shows and here are six reasons why "Survivor" is going to outlive "Idol":
1) Less competition. Amazingly, no other network has been able to replicate or steal "Survivor's" unique position. "Idol" in 2011 began facing competition on its own network with "The X Factor" in the fall. What's worse, the show featured "Idol's" former signature judge Cowell. That show was a failure, lasting only three season. NBC really clipped "Idol" with a flashier, more judge-oriented show in "The Voice," which now soundly beats "Idol" in ratings despite the fact it hasn't created a single superstar. "They effectively diluted the singing show market and accelerated a fatigue," said MJ Santilli, who has run MJs Big Blog focused on "Idol" for nearly a decade and has since expanded to a variety of TV shows. "Only one show was bound to survive, and it turned out to be the celebrity-stuffed, shiny-chaired 'Voice.' "
2) Smarter adjustments. It seems the changes creator Mark Burnett has made to "Survivor" over the years have worked better than those tried by "Idol" producers. For instance, "Survivor" added the popular immunity idol season 11, has salted in past contestants and a celebrity or two (John Rocker anyone?), had family members compete against each other and hosted two all-star editions. "Idol" cut back on showcasing "bad" audition singers, added a judge's save, permitted singers to use instruments and broadened its weekly music themes to no avail.
3) More compelling storylines. While "Idol" would occasionally milk a good storyline (Kellie Pickler is a country bumpkin! Danny Gokey's wife died!), the focus has been on the singing. And contestants rarely clash on air. "Survivor" by design thrives on drama generated by opposing personalities, divergent agendas and bickering conflated by fatigue and lack of food. " 'Survivor' can be more like a scripted show because it's shot and edited and they know at the beginning of editing how it's going to end. They can create storylines," said Michael Slezak, a TVLine journalist who has been following "Idol" since day one and hosts a weekly videocast about the show with season 6 finalist Melinda Doolittle called "Reality Check." "It's almost a serialized drama based in reality. It's not as dependent on the success or popularity of the cast as 'Idol.' "
4) Jeff Probst. As host since the beginning Probst has become the affable, comforting father figure on "Survivor." You could say the same for Ryan Seacrest as the host of "Idol," but that show is just as tied to its shifting judges' panel. "Jeff is very likeable and keeps people interested in the show," wrote Jenn Terry Humphries on the AJC Radio and TV Facebook fan page. "The constant shakeups at the judges' table was bad for Idol. After Simon, Paula [Abdul], and Randy [Jackson] left, it was never the same."
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
