C
Cr122
Guest
Reality TV expert: Jimmy Johnson's wealth not insurmountable to win "Survivor: Nicaragua"
10:38 AM CDT on Saturday, August 21, 2010
From Staff Reports
How well will Jimmy Johnson fare on "Survivor: Nicaragua?" We asked reality TV expert Andy Dehnart, who edits and publishes www.realityblurred.com , and writes about TV and culture for NPR , The Daily Beast, msnbc.com, and other publications. He also teaches journalism and writing at Stetson University in DeLand, Fla.
How much of a shot does Jimmy Johnson have at 67 years old of going far in the game? Age is irrelevant in a social game like Survivor. Bob Crowley (age 57) proved that when he won Survivor Gabon, becoming its oldest winner ever, and many winners have defeated far younger opponents. Last season's winner, Sandra Diaz-Twine, excelled at the strategic and social game despite a rather weak physical game, which proves that a good Survivor player can account for their weaknesses, real or perceived.
What do you think of the twist of putting 40-and-up contestants against a tribe of 30-and-under contestants? Survivor has done variations on this before, like Survivor Panama's four tribes (with old men, old women, young men, and young women) so it's not all that surprising or interesting -- and the age distribution is pretty arbitrary. But the show works best in early episodes when there's an underdog tribe and a cocky tribe, and young versus old is basically a shortcut to get to that. If the young team does poorly, it'll be seen as an embarrassment, and if the older tribe doesn't do well at first but recovers, that's fun, too.
Will the fame hurt Jimmy Johnson in his game? Very possibly, but that part that is most likely to hurt him is the perception that his fame has brought him wealth, so he doesn't need the prize. Still, last season, a person who already won the game won again, so that's clearly not an insurmountable obstacle.
Why about "Survivor" makes it remain among the top-rated shows as it enters its 21st season? Survivor is exceptionally well-produced, from its great HD visuals to its well-made challenges to its strong casting, and the structure of the game works really well to encourage lots of interesting strategy, which is usually entertaining.
Predict how far will Jimmy go? I try not to make predictions. The game has too many variables, so even educated guesses are unlikely to be accurate.
• • •
10:38 AM CDT on Saturday, August 21, 2010
From Staff Reports
How well will Jimmy Johnson fare on "Survivor: Nicaragua?" We asked reality TV expert Andy Dehnart, who edits and publishes www.realityblurred.com , and writes about TV and culture for NPR , The Daily Beast, msnbc.com, and other publications. He also teaches journalism and writing at Stetson University in DeLand, Fla.
How much of a shot does Jimmy Johnson have at 67 years old of going far in the game? Age is irrelevant in a social game like Survivor. Bob Crowley (age 57) proved that when he won Survivor Gabon, becoming its oldest winner ever, and many winners have defeated far younger opponents. Last season's winner, Sandra Diaz-Twine, excelled at the strategic and social game despite a rather weak physical game, which proves that a good Survivor player can account for their weaknesses, real or perceived.
What do you think of the twist of putting 40-and-up contestants against a tribe of 30-and-under contestants? Survivor has done variations on this before, like Survivor Panama's four tribes (with old men, old women, young men, and young women) so it's not all that surprising or interesting -- and the age distribution is pretty arbitrary. But the show works best in early episodes when there's an underdog tribe and a cocky tribe, and young versus old is basically a shortcut to get to that. If the young team does poorly, it'll be seen as an embarrassment, and if the older tribe doesn't do well at first but recovers, that's fun, too.
Will the fame hurt Jimmy Johnson in his game? Very possibly, but that part that is most likely to hurt him is the perception that his fame has brought him wealth, so he doesn't need the prize. Still, last season, a person who already won the game won again, so that's clearly not an insurmountable obstacle.
Why about "Survivor" makes it remain among the top-rated shows as it enters its 21st season? Survivor is exceptionally well-produced, from its great HD visuals to its well-made challenges to its strong casting, and the structure of the game works really well to encourage lots of interesting strategy, which is usually entertaining.
Predict how far will Jimmy go? I try not to make predictions. The game has too many variables, so even educated guesses are unlikely to be accurate.
• • •