Wanted to move on to Survivor.
I know that you’re a big fan of Survivor. You know, we’re only four episodes into this season or five. It’s tough.
And
is it only
on four? They’re so long, Steve. They’re like three. I know
when they went to, when they went to 90 minute episodes, it’s just like, okay. But I think we’ve had 4 episodes, maybe last night was
fine.
Yeah,
last night.
Yeah, it was 5. Early episodes are tough because there’s still so many people. You’re getting to learn. You’re getting to know people. You’re getting to see gameplay. Like, the only reason I remember last season’s early episodes because it was literally the first 4 eliminations were literally some of the 4 worst game plays that I’ve ever seen before with.
Jelinski and some of the people that were just making these awful errors and just like, are you a fan of the show? And you’re doing this. But impression so far, do you like the new era of survivor? Do you like 26 days over 39 or where are your thoughts on that?
I don’t know. I might get some hate. Like I, I’m not the biggest fan of the forties, this, this era, because, and again, it’s so funny, like I would not that I would complain about themes, but like I kind of, we were kind of all over the themes for a long time too, but I will say it, it helped me remember people more and remember the game more.
I feel like a lot of the forties, the 40 seasons are sort of blurred together for me. I did. You’re just like,
Hey, season 45. Can you name the players? It’s like 45. That’s just a number, but if it was heroes versus villains, you could be like, Oh yeah, yeah,
yeah,
yeah. I understand what you’re saying there.
Exactly. And so last season I was about to watch it and then I heard a bunch of people quit and stuff, and I was like, I just need a season off from survivor. I think I need to fall in love with the show again. And so I actually didn’t watch last season though. I did hear it got better, so I’m going to go back and watch it.
But. This season I did I thought like the first few episodes were actually more promising than they usually are. I don’t know why I’m not a big fan of a zillion advantages and all these beware of it Like I’m not I guess I am a little old school in that way, but I think
you know, it’s I’m not a fan of the 26 days.
I have Steven Fishback on at the end of every season. And I talk about, I said, drives me nuts. I just, I’m not going to take away anybody. That’s one survivor from season 40 on for 26 days. But if you put all previous 46 winners in a room, the six that won 26 days. Are kind of probably side eyed by the people that lasted 39 days.
Like, Hey, you’re a winner. Congratulations. Welcome to the club, but you didn’t do what we did. You know, that’s two weeks. That’s two extra weeks of being out there. And I think that’s a big deal. I don’t really understand, you know, production and costs and all that. Okay. I get it. And it, it started because of COVID, but.
I thought it would go back to 39 days after we had like one or two seasons with where they had to shorten it because of COVID and whatever, I just, I’m surprised that they just kept it up for, for 26 days, you know, I wish they’d go back to 39.
Yeah, I have to imagine it was like a cost cutting, like, or Jeff was just like, Oh, you know what, this is easier because I know Jeff has, you know, a lot more influence than someone, you know, he’s not Julie.
Like, he is an executive producer and has more say, but, but even like, you know, and I appreciate when shows do try out new things like AI arena. I really did actually like this season on big brother, which is, I don’t always like those Swiss, but like, if you recall a couple of seasons ago when Jeff tried to like, talk to the cameras, I hated that.
I was like, what are you doing? Yeah. Yeah. And then he, he went away from it. And I was like, okay, good. He learned his lesson. That did not work. So I guess the 26 days thing, it’s not like it didn’t work. I think he thought like, Oh, well, casual fans won’t really notice the difference. But like, you’re right.
Like within, you know, I’m on Reddit. I see people’s social media. Like, I definitely think old school players are like, these new guys don’t know any, you know, I definitely think there is that.
Yeah. And then with 50 coming up, That’s going to be an all star season. They’ve already said it. I would think most of the players are going to be from 40 to 50.
It’s not, I don’t think it’s going to be half and half. I don’t think it’s going to be half the cast will be from 40 to 50 and half the cast will be from 1 to 40. I think they’ll sprinkle a few in. Probably less than five, if I had to guess because I think they want to make it, they, they do want to bring back some of the, the old school and the nostalgia of the older contestants.
But seemingly, if you’re going to have an all star season at 50, you want to bring back the stars from 40 through 50 and then sprinkle in some old schoolers. But I can’t imagine them doing half the cast of old school. It seems too much, you know, yeah. And with 26 days, like for me. I just hate the fact that we lose our open, we lose Jeff saying 39 days, 18 players, one survivor, like on top of a volcano, like we don’t get that for since season 40.
And that bothers me. It’s always bothered me. I’m like, yeah, He doesn’t do it in six days. I thought he did. No, he doesn’t do it at the beginning of the season anymore. He has not done it. That’s the one thing that has changed, at least for me, and the biggest in the production of this show I do like the slow mo they do that.
I do like the, I do like flashing back. They, they never used to do that. So there’s some production things that I do like I’m with you. I’m more of an old schooler. I don’t like 1700 advantages during the game. The walkabouts I can do without because by episode six, I’m like, wait, who went on the walkabout in episode two?
Who were the three people that met each other from the three different tribes? Did they form a friendship? How close did they get? I don’t remember this stuff. Like I see the funny thing is with survivor. I’ve watched every episode of every season, but my. Memory retention of things is terrible. Yeah. I just, what’s
your favorite though?
I gotta know what’s your favorite
season. I, that’s the thing. Like I, I mean, if you’re going to ask me a favorite season, I have to go back to literally to Australia because one had just come off that very successful, oh my gosh, this is the new phenomenon in TV where 50 million people watched the finale, which is just unheard of nowadays.
And then two. Happens because everyone’s like, Oh, I got to watch the second season. And that’s probably the one that I followed the most, even though I’ve watched every episode of every other season, it’s the one that stuck with me the most, because I didn’t actually, I won’t say I lied. I started, I jumped on, I bandwagon survivor basically with about five or six episodes left in season one, when I heard everybody talking about it.
So two was my first full season of okay. Getting to understand the show. So that’s probably the one, but I know that like. But when I say my memory attention is bad, if you ask me to name any seasons winner, I’m not good with that. I know who’s won the show. I know Tony’s won twice. I know Sandra’s won twice.
And you know, the names I could probably name maybe 10 of the 46 winners of they won this named season. I’m just not good with, with that.
I’m not actually that great at, at greater than either. And I think people sometimes are like, you don’t remember this. And I’m like, no, I don’t remember every Alliance name or tribe name.
I don’t even remember them when they’re on, like what the tribe names are. So, but I’m pretty good with winners and I’m pretty good with like, in the thirties, because like you actually, I started watching from season one, but then kind of fell off in the twenties and then picked back up around blood versus water and, you know, so, so yeah, my memory is not like perfect either.
And, and also I forgot to mention with 50 coming up, I find it interesting because, you know, A lot of these players are going on Survivor Australia, and they’re going on the Traders, and now they have contracts with other networks. So yeah, I’m interested to see what old schoolers they actually do bring back, if any.
Are they winners or are they people we haven’t seen? Like, it’ll be interesting. I don’t know
when you said blood versus water. I’m like, okay, who won blood versus water? Was that, was that there was two blood versus water season? See, see what I mean? I think Jeremy won one of them, right?
No, he won Cambodia.
Second chances. The one where they voted you back in.
Yeah. See, I’m not, I, I knew he was a winner. I just didn’t, I couldn’t, I couldn’t, I couldn’t. Remember the season. See, I’m terrible at this. It’s hard. I mean, there’s a lot. Do you know who won either of the blood versus water seasons? It’s Tyson.
Tyson won one.
He’s okay. One of my favorite favorites. And then my, one of my other favorites is Natalie Anderson and she won the other one
with the sister. Yeah. Yeah. But I, you know what, if you would have, I knew Natalie Anderson was a former winner. I don’t think I would have put her with that season. If you would have just, Oh, interesting.
Yeah. I’m just not.
Yeah.
Like you said, I’m forgetting during the season, like I said, we’re, we’re five episodes into this season of survivor, maybe six. I don’t remember who went on the first, like everyone choose one person from your tribe. They’re going to go off and possibly winning advantage. I can’t tell you who’s been, and that was five, that was a month ago.
That’s what I mean. I can’t remember. I don’t even
know everyone’s name yet.
Yeah. That’s the other thing. I don’t know everyone’s name. Like when I’m watching it at the end of the episode and then I go record my podcast afterwards. Sometimes I can’t even remember the names of the contestants 30 minutes after I just watched the episode like that’s what I mean it’s
yeah, I’m a note taker if I have to cover it obviously if I’m watching as a fan I don’t but if I was covering Survivor for example I would be taking notes because like you I just forget everything so
I guess that’s why it’s different because I watch Survivor for the enjoyment and I shut my brain off you The second it ends on Wednesday night, and I don’t think about it until the following Wednesday, whereas you asked me bachelor and bachelorette stuff.
I can name the final four of basically every season because I cover on a daily basis and I talk about it all the time. So I guess that’s why someone like Steven Fishback who comes on the show.
Oh yeah.
He’s an encyclopedia when I ask him about names and, you know, what was the last time, when was the last time we had a four three final vote and he can name it off the top of his head.
I’m like,
I wouldn’t even. Yeah, he’s just, he’s also super smart. I don’t know. Yeah. So everything.
Yeah. The last thing I wanted to talk about was another show that we both watch and that’s the challenge. And. This is a show that I probably had the same trajectory as you did with watched it a lot in the beginning, fell off for probably about 10 seasons, and then I’ve picked it back up.
But once again, once I picked it back up, have watched every episode of every season, could not tell you the winners. Of who won what season and again, it’s because I watch it and then I don’t think about it for a week and I’m not covering it extensively. I don’t do podcasts with it, but a few of them on my podcast, but I just, my memory retention of that show is terrible.
There are, there are a few people on era’s season that I’m like, I don’t even know who this person is and I don’t even know what season they were on. I don’t even remember them. But I am enjoying the era’s season. I do like it. The one thing that I’m really enjoying about the challenge, and maybe this is just an MTV thing.
I like the fact that these contestants I’m fine with them all having podcasts and all going on podcast while the show is airing bananas has his podcast where he’s literally talking to contestants from the as this season is airing a season that he’s still on. And he’s able to not give away any spoilers and stuff like that because I don’t want to know spoilers for challenge.
It would ruin it for me. But I do like the fact that they are very social media savvy and they’re allowed to talk about it. They’re allowed to call production out. It’s almost like the drama on social media for the challenge. Keeps me invested in what’s happening on the era season. You follow that stuff, you know, what’s going on.
It’s a good point. Well, like you, I’m in and out. I was a huge challenge fan and, and real world and all of that. And then fell off and came back. Same thing with you. Like whenever they do flashbacks, I’m like, good thing you’re doing this. Cause I have no idea what you’re talking about or like a lot of times there’ll be like rivals or something.
And it’s like over Twitter beef that I didn’t even see. So yeah, I agree. I think it’s a little convoluted and like confusing sometimes. It is fun. Wait, what did you, what was your question? I was, I was getting towards about the social media beef, like, right. I think it’s super interesting because some networks are so locked.
You cannot say anything. You can’t even ABC, ABC, some of Bravo, not all of it, but like the guys on below deck won’t even say like their, their relationship status until the show airs, which is, I’m like, wow, that’s pretty crazy. Okay. But yeah, the challenge, I think Johnny Bananas is his own thing because he, I think, You know, MTV knows that’s their star.
So I think he can get away with, and he has obviously, he’s one more. So he has more money. He can hire better lawyers when he’s doing these contracts. So that there’s also that piece. Like I do think, and Johnny, I do think they trust him cause he’s been so media trained over the years that like, he knows what he can say and can’t, but fair.
I do think there are a lot of podcasts, a lot of drama. Sometimes I like it. Cause you’re right. It gives context that we wouldn’t otherwise have. But then sometimes I do think it’s like way too much where I’m like, do we need 50 podcasts from every single person that’s ever been on this show? I think it gets a little, and then they all want to do exit interviews.
Like same thing with Big Brother. Like there’s a lot of podcasts now. I’m sure Survivor as well. So yeah, I, I don’t, I, I have like a love hate relationship with it. I like it for the context, but I do think it gets like kind of, there’s just too much. I feel like sometimes how do I keep up with all this?
They’re the crazy thing is MTV allows them, or they don’t, I don’t know why I say allows them, they do it on their own and whether or not they get a slap on the wrist or get a cease and desist, but they’re allowed to call out the editing in the episode. Like when there’s a fight that happened there, a couple episodes, there was this giant car Maria and Laurel fight.
And everybody that has a podcast or everybody that has a Twitter account was chiming in on what you didn’t see and how it all started. Oh, you, you only saw clips of it. That thing went on for hours. And it’s just like, On the bachelor, you can’t do that. You can try and do that, but you were going to get a call from a producer that says, you absolutely have to take that off your Instagram story.
You can’t talk about what isn’t shown on the show. And all these challenge people talk about, if there’s something in the episode where the editing made it seem one way, if somebody ends up looking bad because of the editing, they will immediately take to their social media and be like, you have no idea what really happened.
You guys are talking about stuff on an edited television show, and they will just say, This is what happened. And MTV doesn’t seem to step in and say, delete that. So,
and, and they ask them back. Yeah. They’re like, that’s fine. You criticize us. Come back next season.
Yeah. And they bring them back. So is a part of me that’s like, and there, and there are a few Instagram accounts and I see it on my search page.
So it’s not like I’m actively seeking this stuff out, but I’ll see stuff and I’ll be like, Oh my God, I didn’t even realize that was a thing. I didn’t even know that these, these two had a beef. And they’re beefing on Twitter. It’s just, it’s really interesting. Yeah, I’m, but I’m enjoying, I’m enjoying the arrow season.
I really am. I have. And like I said, it’s funny as a guy who, who has spoiled the bachelor and bachelorette for years. I just have no interest in knowing. I don’t want to be spoiled on survivor. I don’t even know if there’s a survivor side out there that still does it. And I don’t want to be spoiled on challenge and I’m sure there’s a challenge side out there that, that has spoilers for who won season 40.
Yeah. Or if it was multiple people, I have no idea. And I don’t want to know because we would completely ruin the season for me. So anyway, I mean, this is This has been something that has always stuck with me. Everyone thinks that I just want to be spoiled on everything. I don’t read the end of books.
I don’t want to know what’s happening in a movie before I go see it. Like it’s only bachelor, bachelorette and paradise. That’s all I care about spoiling and golden, you know, that too. But Anyway, Sharon, thank you so much for coming on. I know it’s been a really freaky time out there for you. I appreciate you coming on.
What is it? Has it died down a little bit? Anything since we’ve been recording?
Yeah, it’s been quiet. I’m here with family and so it’s a little, you know, hectic in the house, but otherwise it looks outside. Looks okay. I don’t know if it’s fully hit us yet. I think it’s going to be overnight, but. But no, this is a nice distraction, Steve.
I love to talk about reality TV and get, get away from real life a little bit. So I appreciate you asking me on.
Yeah, no problem. We’ll definitely have you on again in the future. So Sharon, I really appreciate it. Thanks for coming on and we will obviously be in touch. All right. Thanks Steve. Thank you so much to Sharon for coming on.
Really appreciate it. Go check it out on YouTube, on my YouTube channel. Reality Steve 24 on YouTube and. You know, this is somebody who is a first time guest and she’s definitely going to be on again in the future to talk about the reality shows that she covers. You can check her out on the exclusive podcast, the exclusive with Sharon Tharp.
You go to her Instagram page. Which is just Sharon Tharp, and you can see all of her exit interviews with Big Brother contestants that were eliminated this season. The Quinn story was pretty funny. That Quinn noticed her in the audience right when he came out when he was eliminated the night that Jerry O’Connell had to fill in for Julie.
But Very fun talking to Sharon. I hope everything is okay with her family. Like I said, she was down in Vero beach yesterday when we recorded, we almost had to not record or push it back to next week. But seems like she was out of the woods with the storm, but obviously other people in Florida were praying for you.
And hopefully by the time you listen to this the storm the hurricane died down and hurricane Milton just wasn’t as severe. Cause the time I’m recording this, I still don’t know. I’ve seen some of the damage, but it’s. Obviously, there’s different places that obviously get it worse than others. And we just, all you can do is, is hope that, you know, as little destruction as possible happened and as little lives were lost.
So again, thank you all for listening. I really appreciate it. Follow me on Apple podcasts, also rate and review, but you’ve got to hit play. It’s the only way it counts as a download. So for Sharon Tharp, I’m Reality Steve. Thank you all for tuning in and I will talk to you tomorrow.
Send all links and emails to: steve@realitysteve.com. To follow me on Twitter, it’s: www.twitter.com/RealitySteve. Instagram name is RealitySteve, or join my Reality Steve Facebook Fan Page. Talk to you tomorrow.
