Season 47 of Survivor has been an absolute banger. Fans have mixed feelings as to how it stacks up against the all-time greats, but most are at least in agreement that it’s one of the best seasons of the so-called New Era, if not the absolute best. I can’t wait to see how it all wraps up in the finale; though, apparently, a lot of other fans don’t feel the same way about the upcoming episode.
If you follow a lot of Survivor accounts on X or check out any Survivor posts on Reddit, you’ve probably noticed a recurring theme. Many fans feel like the final episode this season is going to be boring or a letdown because the outcome is predestined. Some don't even get why CBS just didn't air the rest of the finale in the same night. If Rachel gets to the final three, she’s almost certainly going to win. If Rachel gets eliminated making fire, Sam is almost certainly going to win. Most fans think both Sue and Teeny have no shot, and while there’s a path for Sam to win, if Rachel’s there also, he has absolutely no chance.
I wish I could say I disagree with the above analysis, but to be honest, I feel the same way. Rachel is going to win this game if she gets to the end, and if she doesn't, Sam is going to win. But that doesn’t make me any less excited for the final episode. In fact, I’m really hyped to see what happens, and I want to explain why because it has nothing to do with not liking excitement.
Rachel is a great Survivor player. I would need to see her play more times before deciding how she compares against other legends of the game, but she’s, without question, one of the best players of the New Era. She’s very good at challenges. She’s extremely strategic. She’s able to bond and form relationships with a wide variety of people. She has all the tools, and she’s used them very effectively this season. As such, I want her to win, and I want her to win in a blowout because that’s how this season should end.
Season 47 of Survivor is going to be remembered for a lot of reasons, but I suspect it will most prominently be remembered as a battle between Genevieve and Rachel, who were, by a pretty large margin, the two best players. We got consecutive episodes in which each was part of a big move that blindsided the other, the latter of which resulted in Genevieve going home. Of course it would have been amazing to see those two women slugging it out for jury votes in the finale, but given how good the chess game was between them, I’m not bothered that it ended before the finale. In fact, I’m kind of happy (though I'd love to see them both back for Survivor 50).
Think about the best seasons of Survivor in the show’s history. Now think about the best moments and rivalries in those particular seasons. Most of them ended before the finale, and that doesn’t make them any less memorable. In fact, I would rather see a slugfest between two fantastic rivals end with a traditional tribal council and normal vote versus having it decided by the notoriously fickle jury system at the end. It feels cleaner that way.
So, yeah, I get it. There’s less intrigue and less possible outcomes than we normally see in a finale (where Survivor contestants make their money), but to me, that’s been the natural byproduct of an absolute slugfest between two fantastic players that ended with a blindside near the end. That feels like the Survivor way, and I can’t wait to see Rachel (hopefully) pay off her dominance this season with a dominating finale performance.
