“Survivor” isn’t known to evoke existentialist thoughts but one former player is reminiscing about time spent on Fiji.
Season 47’s Teeny Chirichillo took to Reality TV Newsletters to write about their experience of spending 25 days on the island. The idea came from a conversation they had with fellow “Survivor” alum Stephanie Berger, who posited “Have you ever thought about the fact that the most offline experience of your life, which was those 25 days in Fiji, is somehow the foundation for the most online experience of your life?”
Chirichillo felt compelled to answer the question by taking a look at the relationship between the show itself and the at home viewer’s view of the show.
A clearer perspective post-game
Chirichillo feels as though they have a better view of their experience on the show thanks to being so removed from it after it aired. They were the type of player-viewer that would follow along with the episodes, clicking hashtags about them, and generally being obsessive about what was said about their gameplay.
While the season airs, production doesn’t allow players to say or do much about their appearance on “Survivor.” Chirichillo found a workaround however.
“There’s no part of the fine print that says you can’t clown on yourself, and I’ve found that to be the most endearing, real, and funny posting from other reality alumni,” they write. “It was also the most cathartic for me, especially during a moment of catching heat.”
They’re quick to point out that, like the show of “Survivor” itself, the fans are diverse and hard to pin down. Still, everyone can agree on one thing.
“There’s one universal language between the fanbase and it’s … here comes the corny crux of my point… laughter,” Chirichillo writes. “Making fun, making light, making sure everyone including yourself knows that this whole situation and whatever people are responding to, for good or for bad, is all a little ridiculous in the grand scheme of life.”
Chirichillo notes how edits can make players look much more different than they mean to be. What the former contestant suggests is to not play victim to who you are made out to be.
“You can demonstrate a deep sense of self-awareness and humor in the face of large-scale public embarrassment; there’s something powerful, confident, and complex in that,” Chirichillo continues. “There is an opportunity for a beautiful juxtaposition of humiliation and humility that paints a much more dynamic picture than that of most character arcs on a season of Survivor. It’s something I’ve always admired and tried to emulate.”
Chirichillo then points to examples where their fellow castmates – past and present – engage social media with memes, comedic replies and other silly bits.
The Darker Side of the Post-Game
While playing comedic relief is what Chirichillo dubs as the “healthy” part of surviving “Survivor” after the fact, the worst roles can be drummed up via online forums like Reddit.
They liken the show’s subreddit – a dedicated forum within Reddit where fans of the topic can talk about it – to a relationship in moderation.
“It’s the interface where people with the most vitriol and the least compassion congregate behind usernames like JustSalad-312 or wastedthyme20, and only know how to speak in hyperbole (somehow every season features the most boring player of all time, the best player of the new era, and the least deserving winner),” Chirichillo details. “They make immovable decisions about people based on 30-second scenes and become armchair psychologists — diagnosing, psychoanalyzing, prescribing.”
Chirichillo experienced immense online ridicule following a botched attempt at voting out one of the players in a plan dubbed “Operation: Italy.” What followed was Chirichillo deciding to step away from Reddit entirely so that the situation would just pass.
Better Ways to Engage
Chirichillo found much healthier ways to connect with viewers. For one, those who sent direct messages often received responses.
“I’ve found it quite fulfilling to reply to ones that have left some mark on me,” reflects Chirichillo. “People who really see me, or who tell me their children were rooting for me, or words that surprise me. It is a magical opportunity to resonate with people and let’s be real, we are all going to be on social media for the duration of the season anyway.”
They note, however, that it’s up to the reader to make their own healthy decisions. What’s more is Chirichillo cherished the good and bad of the post-show experience. And they don’t take anything for granted.
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‘Survivor’ Contestant Embraces Humor in Reflection, Social Media, and Self-Awareness