(Spoiler alert: Do not read on if you have not yet seen the season finale of “Survivor: Blood vs. Water – San Juan del Sur” on CBS.)
After 39 days, Natalie Anderson, a two time racer on CBS’ “Amazing Race” won “Survivor: Blood vs. Water – San Juan del Sur” on Wedensday night, completing the 29th season of the original network reality franchise.
In the ultimate nurture vs. nature experiment, her identical twin sister Nadiya had been voted out first in the first episode of the season. Anderson takes home the $1 million prize. She was a fan-favorite known as “Twinnie,” a name she and her sister called one another.
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The live broadcast vote tally capped a season that saw nine pairs of loved ones play the game together in a twist called “Blood vs. Water.” It is the second time in the last fifteen months that show has chosen this “loved ones” twist, taking what was once the most emotional segment of each season and turning it into the entire season.
Host and executive producer Jeff Probst is a significant cheerleader for the format, leveraging some of the skills that had landed him the syndicated, daytime Jeff Probst Show two seasons ago. From the season’s opening moments – pitting a Boston firefighter against his Boston cop wife – there were intra-family tears, awkward father-son bonding, and a thrice-divorced mom telling her daughter to “Get in the back seat and let me drive.”
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The season also featured controversial 1990’s trivia human John Rocker, known for being a great Atlanta Braves relief pitcher, a severe hothead, and indelibly casting himself as a homophobic xenophobe who hated New York (and especially Mets fans) in an iconic Sports Illustrated interview that became etched in his personal and professional resume.
He was an early boot, and his loved one, girlfriend Julie McGee, quit the game at the merge.
This season may best be remembered for the cast’s confusion that they were not on a different CBS show, “Let’s Make a Deal.” At various points, the cast negotiated on camera for alternate rewards, to swap personnel, to barter for food with Jeff Probst, and at one point, to cancel a competitive challenge and just anoint one of them the winner.
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The hardcore fanbase did not approve. Similar to a previous edition of the series based in Nicaragua, loyalists rejected the bartering and criticized this group for poor gameplay and generally lukewarm personalities. To be fair, this is coming off a season in the spring that had three huge characters, all of whom seem destined to make a return appearance on the show.
With the audience that matters, though, “San Juan del Sur” thrived.
The show continues to win its Wednesdays at 8 p.m. timeslot. The four most recent episodes won (or tied) their hour in the key 18-49 demographic and have netted as high as 9.82 million total viewers, showing the franchise as a whole is still a winner, even if the pop culture buzz fell off a decade ago.
Next up for the franchise – the milestone Season 30, with Probst teasing viewers to be prepared for more twists and turns as the show pits white collar vs. blue collar vs. no collar.
“Survivor: Worlds Apart” will premiere Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.