Survivor 41, Episode 4: Fool Me Once...
In which I introduce Survivor to a person that has never heard of Survivor
Author’s note: This newsletter (obviously) contains spoilers for Survivor 41, Episode 4, which aired Wed. October 13, 2021.
Finally, Survivor fans were gifted a reprieve from bogged-down talks of advantages and idols. For me, it couldn’t have come at a better time because I had a guest watching alongside me for this particular episode. Due to our close proximity to Boston Logan International Airport and a miscommunication concerning accommodations, a friend of ours by the name Qibo spent the night on our guest bed following a long flight out of Chengdu.
Qibo spent the first 20-something years of his life in mainland China, where the appetite for reality television is arguably just as ravenous as it is in the West. Among the list of shows that have aired over the years, US audiences might be surprised to find some familiar names; The Amazing Race China (极速前进), China’s Next Top Model, Big Brother China (室友一起宅), The Voice of China (中国好声音).
Notably missing from the mix – at least for now – is Survivor1. As hard as it is to imagine, considering its impact on greater American television and pop culture, Qibo had no idea what I was talking about when I tried to elaborate on the series. Nevertheless, he agreed to sit down with me for the first segment of Wednesday’s episode, and by the commercial break he was legitimately curious to, in his own words, “see how this goes”.
But, before getting into the reactions the program elicited from a first-time viewer, let’s get into the details of what went down: