Survivor has returned for the 33rd season. This is my review of Survivor Season 33. Has Jeff Probst and the gang overstayed their welcome? Is it still engaging? Let’s find out.

Survivor Season 33

After watching Survivor since the beginning, there have been some “so-so” seasons, and you wonder ‘How much longer can the show last’? Well, it looks like it’s not going away anytime soon.

It’s not just about the Contestants

In seasons past, it seemed to be all about the contestants, but now Jeff Probst is one of the most interesting people to watch on the show. He has an uncanny knack to ask just the right question during a Tribal Council meeting that brings the plotting and planning from whispers, hand motions out into the open with verbalizations of voting plans that seem to change moment to moment. Jeff is a master conductor of the players. One of my most favorite moments is when Jeff says, “Well, I see the face that (person) just made. It looks like they had no idea that’s how you all felt.”

The contestants from the past

Hopefully, the new cast has watched past seasons like people studied the Zapruder tapes, and they should. Whether you win the million dollars (or whatever it is after taxes) or not, cast members tend to fit into archetype roles, like the following;

The “Rudy” – Flying under the radar.

The “Cochran” – The socially inept geek that’s smarter than we gave him credit for. Aubrey comes in a close second.

The “Ciera” – The ruthless player that will do what is necessary to win.

The “Yao-Man” – The older, quiet person that makes moves when he needs to. Never count out an older Survivor player.

The “Richard” – The genius that quickly understands how to relate to certain people at certain times. When to lead, when to follow.

There are more, but those are my top 5.

The premise of Survivor Season 33

In season 33, there is a team of Millenials (born between 1984 and 1997) and a team of Generation X (born between 1963 and 1982) competing in a classic ‘Generation Gap’ battle. Initially, I thought is was a boring concept, but Jeff and the show will nudge you and remind you of the differences between each group. The differences aren’t just the ages, but the mindset (One group finds it easier to connect to each other with electronic devices, the other finds it easier to connect face to face, etc), and that gets your mind thinking, “Well, yeah. How will that play out in Survivor? Will tech skills prevail against face to face skills?”

Except for the “Legacy Advantage”, there aren’t any fun twists as in seasons past like; Redemption Island, Exile Island, etc. So, we will just wait and see what the showrunners have in store for us.

The contestants from Survivor Season 33

A few of the new castaways stand out for me, what about you?

Strong Stand Outs

Jessica “Figgy” Figueroa – If she isn’t all talk, she could be filling the “Ciera” role here. Sure, she’s beautiful but she needs to keep a keen eye on the goal. A million dollars. A MILLION DOLLARS. If she could be the beautifully ruthless “Figgy” and not let anything stand in her way, she could take it all. I don’t think she can stand the pressure, though.

Justin “Jay” Starrett – We might have a “Richard” archetype here. Now, If I was single, and “Figgy” took a liking to me, it would be hard to shake it off. I love that “Jay” was the first person to try to help Taylor to shake off the allurements of “Figgy”, so Taylor could be safe in the game. We’ll see how he plays going forward.

David Wright – He playing the “Cochran” role, for sure. He’s having trouble relating and dealing with the elements, but I see him finding his place, and I guarantee he will get his footing. Just wait ’til he eats all the gross food during the food challenge and crush some of the tougher challenges that lay ahead. We’ll see.

Hannah Shapiro – She may be the perfect “Rudy” role. She has had trouble finding her footing in the game (Like “David”), but I think she will. She will learn to fill a task that her tribe (then the merged tribe) must have, then come out strong late in the game like Aubrey Bracco (Kaôh Rōng castaway).

On the Fence Stand Outs

Michelle Schubert – Religion and Survivor are always tenuous partners. Initially, the person(s) want(s) to use the money to help someone or something, but as the game progresses and the actions needed to get other castaways out of the way give them a crisis of faith (That the buckle underneath the pressure of it). I’m very surprised to see Michelle actually play the game early on and not be the “happy clappy” person that I expected. She might be the first religious person to win it all, BUT there’s a lot of Survivor left to play, so we’ll see how she holds up.

Taylor Lee Stocker – If Taylor can weather the “Figgy” storm, he and Justin can create a great guy alliance with “Jay” to rule the last portion of the game. I see a “figgy” break up in the future, and I hope he channels the hurt to play the game like “Jay” is mentoring him.

Jessica Lewis – is my “Yao-Man” archetype pick. I think the Legacy Advantage will do her well and I think she’ll use the rest of her skills to play from brains and not brute strength or speed. She needs to stay out of the way, watch and learn about everyone else playing.

My Picks for Sole Survivor

David Wright

Hannah Shapiro

Who dod you think will win Survivor Season 33? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.