Commodification of wilderness in Survivor reality show

Student: Vinko Draa

History and paradigms of American studies 2

Award winning reality show Survivor probably claims the largest fan base among reality
shows and TV programs in general. Since it premiered on CBS Network in 2000 Survivor
received numerous critical acclaims and has stayed one of the top 20 most watched shows
through all of its 30 seasons. When it aired for the first time, Survivor foreshadowed a long
and successful reign of reality show programs. Global popularity of TV reality shows, from
early concepts like Survivor or Big Brother to new shows that are as successful in stirring up
controversy as they are in Nielsen ratings like Amish Mafia and Here comes Honey Boo-Boo,
is one of the crucial characteristics of 21st century media. Like every other product of
contemporary mass- media culture, reality shows are oriented towards consumerist market of
the mainstream media audiences. If Marshall Mcluhan had identified medium as message it
relays, medium of reality shows certainly has a kind of consumerist message, or even a
complex pattern of messages morphing reality of the reality shows into the ideological image
of world that the modern consumers would find appealing.
In his 2001 book American studies in the moment of danger George Lipsitz described
artificial environment of Disneyland theme parks as total, themed and controlled (Lipsitz,
2001: 252) and comparable to the world of television commercials and suburban
neighborhoods. The difference between Survivor and Disneyland is in the fact that Survivor
strives to bring dangers and challenges of the wilderness to the American homes while
Disneyland creates the imaginary fairy land in which adults and children can consume their
innocent dreams and fantasies. Their main similarity is in that that their global success rests
on the same consumerist premise- commodification of desire. While the desires of Disneyland
are infantile, dreamy and feminine (especially if we consider Disneys Princesses as one of the
most popular franchises of Disneys dream factory) the desires of Survivors audience are
masculine, dangerous and aggressive. This aggressiveness is visible in the scenes of beautiful,
but untamed nature of pacific islands and tropical jungles on which castaways are being
sent and, likewise, in the social politics of the tribe that can be only described as the most
primitive and brutal kind of Machiavellian political paradigm. Alliances are broken, given
word is meaningless and relative to the fluctuations of power, friendships are put to test and
personal honor and integrity become simple pragmatic tools for reaching the ultimate goal one million dollars.

First thing that gets commodified is the very wilderness which is the basis of the Robinsonian
quest. Although the islands and tropical forests in which Survivor takes place are presented as
perilous in shows trailers and montages, they are far from inhospitable and dangerous
wilderness. The constant American fascination with the wilderness will result in the numerous
pastoral reinventions of landscape in the works of American literature once popular in the
19th century pastoral notion while see its political actualization during the 1960s
countercultural movement. With appropriation of countercultural values by the consumerist
mainstream, the pastoralism will, also become one of the ideas that clutter postmodern market
of ideologies that used to be subversive, but are now part of the alienated system of beliefs
and concepts devoid of their primary content. In the same way Thoreaus retreat near Walden
pond was kind of imaginative wilderness, conscious renunciation of worldliness

in

consumption oriented Western culture (Marx, 1987: 56) wilderness of Survivor is a

imaginary theme recreation of Daniel Defoes castaway adventure. In a same way the whistle
of a steam locomotive announces presence of modern industrialized society in Walden, TV
cameras, taped confessions of castaways and abundance of nail polish, make- up and spray
tan available to female castaways serve as symbolical interruption of the Robinsonian
fantasy, direct involvement of modern mass media world into the unspoiled and serene
nature of the Tropics.
The genre of Robinsoniad, that served as an original inspiration for Survivor was one of the
popular literary genres of the 18th century. Robinson Crusoe a novel of English writer Daniel
Defoe was one of the most widely read novels throughout the 18 th and 19th century. Its main
character titular Robinson is universal man of the Enlightenment era. His thinking is
pragmatic, rational and utilitarian, he subdues nature to his will and embodies the very
beginning of individualistic thought (van Dulmen, 2005: 111).In Survivor the utilitarianism of
the Robinson Crusoe is not only visible in the efforts of castaways to build common shelter
prepare their own food and build efficient campfire using primitive tools( one of the things
that has captured my interest is the fact that great number of castaways comes into the
wilderness wearing eyeglasses, yet every one of them relays to the flint and steel technique
while producing a fire- with the crucial place that Lord of the flies has in American literary
culture one would expect more creativity on behalf of the castaways) but also in castaways
approach to the interpersonal relations. Temporary alliances that offer security to the
contestants, secretive and Machiavellian practice of blindsiding (voting a fellow tribe

member out by collectively pretending somebody else is on the chopping block) and use of
personal affections and friendship as a means of complex quid pro quo reality show politics
makes utilitarianism, not only the agency of Lords pleasure as it was presented in Robinson
Crusoe (Ibid) but also a very profitable worldview. Someones friendship and affection could
easily win you that, during the show often mentioned, million dollars. Complexities of the
human emotions, sympathies and interpersonal communications are utilitarian in that vulgar
neoliberal way- they are basically profit- oriented.
Both wilderness and interpersonal realities of Survivor are commodified by use of those
scenes of linear progression that Lipsitz uses to characterize Disneyland(Lipsitz, 2001: 252)
Chaotic and wild intensity of life in the midst of exotic wilderness which is supposed to
contrast the boredom and routine of the consumerist day to day existence is given strict and
coherent structure. There are challenges that are complex and that are mostly presented as
either tests of physical prowess or as a elaborate Rube- Goldberg or jigsaw puzzles. That
complexity in simplicity serves to bring reason into the Robinsonian life. Same stands for
various tribal rituals and formulaic speech used by the host Jeff Probst in the beginning and in
the end of every challenge. This commodified pseudo- tribal ritualism can be seen in its purest
form when Survivor finalists undertake a Quest of the fallen. They travel the location of the
show, finding the buffs of competitors they have voted out. They remember each competitor,
reflect on their moment on the show, and in the end they burn their buffs as a sort of sacrificial
offering or rite of passage through the astral veil that separates two realities: the reality of the
reality show, and the reality of everyday world. By burning their tribal buffs, finalists are
setting their tribe mates free, and they are enabling their souls free passage back to the
world of urban consumerism- they can return to the other side of the mystical camera that
serves as a medium of separation between imaginary landscape of Survivor and the realities of
everyday life.
It seems like every aspect of reality show is specifically designed to make the experience of
the castaway predictable but not boring, intense but not outright dangerous, uncomfortable but
still easy enough for it to be regarded as a form of extreme competition or a radical type of
camping rather than a realistic way to relieve the experience of someone who really gets lost
in the wild.

Literature:
Lipsitz, George. 2001. American studies in the moment of danger: University of Minnessota
press, Minneapolis.
Marx, Leo. Pastoralism in America in Ideology and classic American literature:
Cambridge, 1987 pages 37-67
van Dulmen, Richard. 2005. Otkrie individuuma 1500.-1800.: Golden Marketing: Tehnika
knjiga: Zagreb.