Why Survivor is still worth watching

Here we are one night removed from the 27th season of "Survivor." Yes, it's true - "Survivor" is still on TV. And yes, it's true - I am still watching faithfully. Now, why would I do a thing like that? Didn't "Survivor" stop being cool like eight years ago? The answer to that is, quite simply, no. Thirteen years later, "Survivor" continues to prove why it's still one of the top shows on television.

**Some spoilers to follow. And yes, I'll be mentioning the name of the Sole Survivor.**

In its most recent incarnation, "Blood vs Water," "Survivor" pitted ten returning castaways from previous seasons against a tribe of their loved ones. On more than one occasion, I, a fan of the show since the very beginning, have thought to myself, "That sounds like a stupid idea." I initially thought that the "Blood vs Water" concept seemed pretty dumb. I didn't want to watch parents and their children play together. I couldn't care less about sibling rivalries or family reunions. But as the season progressed, I think that having relatives play with and against each other didn't just work - it excelled.

Right off the bat, Rupert Boneham, one of the most popular players to ever grace the sandy beaches of  "Survivor," practically ousted himself from the game in an attempt to prolong his wife's life in the game. Then, one of the elements that really got me hooked early on in the season was, to my surprise, the often hit-and-miss Redemption Island. The rivalry between Candice/John and Brad Culpepper was intense, frequently censoring language and blurring out middle fingers as the three interacted at Redemption Arena. Later on in the season, there was the storyline with Laura Morett and her daughter, Ciera. We may never see another moment like the one where Ciera was faced with the decision of whether or not to vote out her mom. After her ouster, Laura kept winning duel after duel after duel at Redemption Island to eventually be reunited with Ciera. The looming threat of a power couple (Laura/Ciera, Aras/Vytas, and Tina/Katie) being reunited that late in the game made each Tribal Council a potential game-changer.

"Survivor" gets my heart pumping. It is unscripted drama at its finest. Obviously, Mark Burnett and company can edit the show however they want, but the way the show is set up, with its challenges, hidden immunity idols, naturally-developing alliances and rivalries, and occasional Tribal Council blindsides have made up countless conversations at my dinner table for over a decade. Its unpredictability can be terribly frustrating at times, but, when your favorite contestants win that crucial challenge or pull off a last-minute stunner at Tribal, there are few greater feelings for the prime time TV watcher.

One of the very few knocks I have on the show is that there have been a handful of undeserving winners. Tina, Vecepia, Natalie, Sandra (TWICE), and Sophie come to mind immediately. That's pretty frustrating. Sadly, in the season's final episode, the jury that votes for the winner often suffers from something my mom and I have dubbed "Bitter Jury Syndrome." Symptoms may include belittling a finalist for personal, non-Survivor-related flaws; unnecessary rudeness and/or profanity; extreme jealousy; and occasional, intentional humiliation (think Dawn/Brenda in Season 26). Bitter jury members often vote for a less-ruthless, less-deserving player simply in order to prevent a certain contestant from winning. This is typically because one finalist led the charge to vote out said bitter jurist. ("You voted me out, so I'm not voting for you.") Just ridiculous. That's something I hate about "Survivor."

The real payoff comes when a deserving player wins. Thankfully, such was the case in "Blood vs Water." The best player won. Tyson dominated from start to finish, but especially after his girlfriend, Rachel, was (arguably) pre-maturely voted out of the game. Rachel wasn't that good and there was no chance that she'd win the game, but seeing her leave early on flipped a switch in Tyson. He really never looked back after that, despite tearing a rotator cuff during one of the more physical challenges. He was the only one who found hidden immunity idols and somehow got other players to think that the idols were still out there, anyway. He sat there and watched as they searched in vain, which was both clever and kind of hilarious. He was strategically a step above everybody, except for maybe Gervase, who was right there with him most of the time. Tyson called the shots, Tyson got the blood on his hands, and then Tyson stepped up and won two huge immunity challenges during the finale. Tyson was the best and, deservedly so, walked away with a million bucks to prove it.

Finally, I've got to give props to my man, Jeff Probst, who yet again proved that he is the best host in all of reality television. He's the king of the loaded question and always knows what to say in difficult situations. He put Colton in his place by calling him out as he quit, he always leads Tribal Council in a controversial direction (once leading up to the dreaded drawing of rocks), and he marvelously handled a tough situation with Tina and Katie in the reunion show. Jeff Probst is money in the bank every single time.

"Survivor" never ceases to entertain me, even 27 seasons down the road. If you have never seen the show or if you've watched it in the past and given up on it, I recommend that you give it another shot. Mr. Probst and a crew of all-new castaways will be back in 2014 with a new twist, pitting brawn against brains against beauty. Allegedly, this will entail a three-tribe premiere: a muscular tribe, an intelligent tribe, and an attractive tribe. There will be no returning players and no Redemption Island. Just good, old-fashioned "Survivor" - and you know I'll be watching.

Coming, 2014.