Survivor Retrospective: The Australian Outback

Rating: 6.5/10

Survivor's second season entrenched the franchise as a fixture in American media. The Australian Outback polished the novelty of the debut season into a potent, permanent formula. Outback's production values were clearly elevated from primitive Borneo, yet the show still felt woodsy and authentic. While later casts would surpass Outback's in charisma, strategy and aesthetics, fully half of Outback's vintage crew - not including its biggest future TV star - returned for later seasons. The group took a step forward from Borneo's in every aspect but diversity. The season wasn't as dramatic as its seminal moments would suggest, but those highlights accentuated The Australian Outback for decades afterwards. It was the most-viewed season in franchise history.

Early episodes focused on the vagaries of camp life: shelter-building, micro-interactions, a forest fire, Jerri's accusation of Kel smuggling beef jerky and Michael's hunting obsession. The season's only true strategist, Jeff Varner, began scheming as soon as his stomach settled. Gangly Mitchell succumbed to the elements and the "previous votes" tiebreaker after a split vote with Chef Keith. 

Mike eventually located, hunted and stabbed a wild pig to death. But the realization of his fantasy was not the moment he'd be remembered best for. That came days later when he inhaled smoke while tending the fire, passed out and severely burned his hands. Cameras didn't capture the incident, but they did show prolonged shots of Mike suffering extreme pain in the aftermath. Medical was quickly summoned, Mike asked for and received anesthetics and flew off in a helicopter. He got another shot, but certainly won't get a third after a ponzi scheme investigation uncovered child pornography on his laptop.

Mike's exit was the turning point. His Kucha tribe had held a numbers edge, but slipped even with Ogakor at 5-5 without him. Before the first merged Tribal, word leaked to Ogakor that Jeff had received votes. They targeted him, nobody wavered and Jeff lost the antiquated "previous votes" tiebreaker to become the first member of the jury. His preternatural strategic feel garnered him two more cracks at the game, though his third appearance ended shamefully.

Ogakor dispatched Alicia to make it 5-3, then proactively turned on Jerri. Survivor's first villain wasn't nearly as nefarious as future scoundrels. She wasn't quite the femme fatale the Edit strived for, just an unsettled Los Angelina in touch with her unwholesome thoughts. The Edit used her as a foil against archetypal Cutie Elisabeth, who parlayed a deep run into American Sweetheart notoriety and a lengthy TV talk show career that included a 10-year run as The View's conservative voice.

Ogakor regrouped to oust Harvard Law student Nick, whose Final Tribal questions uncovered a thoughtful tactician the Edit did not. Colby, Keith and Tina then proactively eliminated luminous young Amber. She knew she was on the wrong side of her alliance when they dusted Jerri without telling her, but had no hope of cracking Elisabeth and Rodger's iron-clad bond. Such were the concerns of the two-person Final Tribal era. As one of the most successful castaways in franchise history, Amber got the last laugh.

Colby had thoughts of siding with the more likable Elisabeth & Rodger over Keith. But he and Tina elected to bring Survivor's first goat to final three. Charismatic Texan Colby was the season's protagonist. He'd assumed Ogakor tour guide duties from day one and consolidated them for the merged tribe after Jeff's ouster. He convinced Jerri and Amber they were his final three but told cameras it was Keith and Tina, deftly executing premedidated endgame strategy with more discretion than season one winner Richard Hatch. Colby won every challenge down the stretch - including some truly individual rewards climaxing in a truck - so we never found out if Tina would've stuck with him as he did with her. After winning Final Immunity, he opted to go to Final Tribal with Tina fully aware a date with Keith would've ensured the million. Tina's authenticity registered well with the Jury and she "upset" Colby 4-3 to become Survivor's second champion.

The surprise votes and blindsides were actually underproduced, as more emphasis was given to battles of the elemental variety than the strategic. Just a few minutes were reserved for Tribal Councils. Producers believed physical struggle made for compelling television. While the best Survivor seasons proved strategy should be prioritized instead, producers would eventually fall into a formulaic trap of dramatizing every vote. Often, battles against nature are actually more dramatic - especially in a legitimately wild environment like the Outback.

There was an awful lot of talk surrounding the amount of rice they had, how to ration it and how to prepare it. Despite all the discussion, they ate it too fast and had to trade part of their shelter for more - days before a flash flood obliterated their camp, washing away their fishing hooks and the bartered rice. They were able to locate the rice tin downstream and rescued it in one of the game's rare gleeful moments. The struggle was real: Keith wound up losing 27 pounds, Colby 25. Copious shots of crocodiles and kangaroos accompanied by a didgeridoo further underscored the uniqueness of the environment, a far cry from the sterile South Pacific bubbles the franchise eventually settled into. The Australian Outback was an indispensable second chapter in the Survivor canon thanks to its primal authenticity and progressive cultivation of the franchise.