The networks have done little lately to earn our respect, and the tasteless primetime line-ups seem to be drowning in their own lack of potent, creative material. We're left with TV that provides an adequate means of killing time, but, unlike films or music, rarely inspires us to invest much of our personal interest in it. The intimacy between the viewers and the cast members is intense. We love to see the cocky, annoying or lazy people finally get the boot, but we are constantly fearful that the group will soon turn against one of our favorites. It's no time for cynicism, because for these people, it is very real.
People are so hungry that they're dividing up a grasshopper for a meal.
On top of all this, the games they compete in every other day for rewards and immunity remain rigorously physical. Although they are competing against each other in the prize-money game, the primal ordeal they endure together in the game of survival is essentially collaborative. The relationships they develop don't seem so superficial when they have to depend on one another just to stay alive. No one would have made it this long on their own and the way they've helped each other keep going in the midst of some absolutely devastating circum-stances makes a powerful emotional impact rarely felt via television. It all comes together so perfectly, it's sometimes hard to believe how well everything plays its part.