(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ANCIENT VOICES")
UNIDENTIFIED SINGER: (Vocalizing).
SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
The finale of "Survivor's" 50th season is on tonight. Since 2000, CBS has been dropping castaways off in remote locations so they can fight over rice and vote each other out. And one NPR critic and major "Survivor" fan has used this momentous occasion to do something quite remarkable - to rewatch every single season and rank them. Stephen Thompson, that fits into the outlast part of the "Survivor" motto. Wow.
STEPHEN THOMPSON, BYLINE: (Laughter).
DETROW: How are you feeling?
THOMPSON: I am feeling - you know, look, I love "Survivor." I'm ready to watch something else on TV.
DETROW: (Laughter) So let's start with the end. Let's talk about Season 50 first. The finale's on tonight. How has this season stacked up?
THOMPSON: Well, it's been a very mixed bag because the producers, you know, for the 50th season really wanted to throw in a lot of bells and whistles, kind of an overstuffed cast, lots of twists. And I think they went a little too heavy on those twists. But at the same time, I think a good and fun and lively season has broken out, even if my personal favorites did not make it all the way to the end.
DETROW: I remember that first season. I have this vivid memory of my entire family gathering around a TV with pizza on vacation to watch the finale, right? And a lot...
THOMPSON: Oh, yeah.
DETROW: ...Has changed since then. That was a very long time ago.
THOMPSON: (Laughter).
DETROW: How has "Survivor" changed with the times?
THOMPSON: Well, I think it's become a much more elaborate game. It is much more about social strategy, and a lot of kind of meta layers have been added onto it. When it first started out, I think for a lot of people, it was a lot more about, you know, who can survive most effectively in the wilderness. And now it is much more about kind of managing threat level. And sometimes, you know, in all-star seasons, preexisting relationships come into play. And so the game has become a lot more complex and, I think, more satisfying. But over the course of 26 years, you see a lot of societal changes unfold. As you go back and, like a fool, rewatch 50 seasons of television, you really get a picture of how a lot of things in society have changed.
DETROW: Yeah. Now, I think it's fair to say "Survivor" fans are pretty opinionated.
THOMPSON: Yes.
DETROW: You are absolutely not the first to make a season-by-season ranking list. But yours, I'm sure, is the best to you and...
THOMPSON: It is the best.
DETROW: Why, though? Like, what to you makes a good season of the show? How were you thinking about these rankings?
THOMPSON: Well, I really appreciate the way the show has evolved over the years to be a little bit less about immiseration and cruelty. For me, a great "Survivor" season is full of fun people who play hard, and it really boils down to that. And I think over the course of 50 seasons of the show, they've experimented with seasons that kind of focused far too extensively on, like, one, you know, extremely outre, you know, kind of player. I really love a season that is full of people who are in it to win it, who are playing hard, who are fun kind of narrators of the season because so much of "Survivor" is dependent on the players kind of explaining their games to you.
So for me, you know, I'm always looking for kind of that Goldilocks season. Do you have a bunch of people who are playing hard? Do you have a bunch of possible outcomes? And, you know, I don't really love to see people facing cruelty and bullying and general immiseration. And so my rankings are often kind of dependent on those factors.
DETROW: OK, so Stephen, the tribe has spoken. Please hold up your ballot to the camera and tell us what your favorite season of "Survivor" is.
THOMPSON: My pick for the best season of "Survivor" is Season 20. It's "Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains." It's an all-star season where the cast is broken up into what the show sees as good guys and what the show sees as bad guys. And I think, naturally, those categories are extremely up for debate and extremely kind of fungible. But at the same time, you have a bunch of really major "Survivor" players battling it out and making really big, really memorable moves. And for me, that's what makes a great "Survivor" season.
DETROW: That is Stephen Thompson, critic on NPR Music and host of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast, and now outed as a major "Survivor" fan.
THOMPSON: (Laughter).
DETROW: You can find Stephen's ranking of "Survivor" seasons at npr.org. Stephen, thanks so much. Good to talk to you.
THOMPSON: Thanks so much, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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