Survivor 43 premieres tomorrow, Wednesday, September 21, but fans have already been given a sneak peek of the opening four minutes, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, and the show’s editors are having some fun.
The show’s opening features all the familiar Survivor tropes, from Jeff Probst‘s dramatic intro, castaways arriving via speedboats, and various shots of the Fijian scenery and wildlife. However, there are also some playful, creative flourishes, including a humorous moment with one contestant’s chyron and a fourth-wall-breaking opening credits gag.
“Being 19 and as young as I am, I am way more than just my age,” says Sami in his first confessional of the season. “I am actually attending Brigham Young University right now, so I’m like a student, pet cremator, business owner hybrid. I’m all these things. Like, look at me.”
As Sami reels off his various occupations, his chyron graphic under his name continues to update, from “Student” to “Student/Pet Cremator” to eventually running out of space and cramming in “Business Owner Hybrid” on a diagonal slant. It’s easily the best chyron-related joke since Debbie Wanner’s ever-changing jobs in Survivor: Kaoh Rong.
Perhaps even funnier is a moment towards the end of the intro, when Owen talks about how Survivor is his dream. “I want this so bad. I used to daydream about seeing my name up in the opening credits,” he says as the editors throw to an old-school style Survivor credit sequence, complete with slo-mo footage and Owen’s name on the screen.
It’s also nice to see several players receiving intro confessionals. In addition to Sami and Owen, we also see confessionals from Ryan, Noelle, Nneka, Morriah, Lindsay, Karla, Cody, Cassidy, Elie, and James. Many of these confessionals include footage and photos of the players from outside of the game and help shed light on the backgrounds.
All in all, these first four minutes are a promising start to a new season of Survivor.
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