I love Survivor. For anybody who hasn’t caught onto this reality phenomenon, Survivor is, essentially, the original reality competition show. From its premiere in 2000, this show has seen 23 seasons, plenty of exotic locations all around the world, and a whole lot of backstabbing. The format is simple: a group of people are divided into tribes, compete for rewards and immunity, and are forced to vote a person “off the island” at the end of each episode. While some may dismiss it as mindless escapism, I think Survivor has five valuable life lessons to teach all of us if we’re willing to listen

You have to either be really good at what you do or a really good liar to get ahead. This is probably the lesson the show pounds into your head the most; if you can’t win the immunity challenges, you better work on your poker face. Just like Richard Hatch perfected the game in the very first season, I have learned that there is definitely a vital “social gaming” aspect to life. You can’t just excel at something and go straight to the top unless you’re really good at it. Take college applications for example: we can’t all say we were totally honest in our admissions essay. We have to know how to make ourselves look and sound better. If I hadn’t been obsessed with Survivor, I’d still be stuck within the silly boundaries of integrity. And integrity, my friends, is a bit overrated.

Sometimes the means do justify the ends. Work with me here. Everybody who won Survivor has probably had to do one questionable thing along the way that ended up helping him or her win. Even if it may have seemed, well, “mean.” I don’t intend to imply that all means justify all ends. No, I have just learned through my Survivor experiences that when the end is worth it, that can be a valid excuse for being somewhat of a jerk. It’s a fight to the finish, in this show and in life, and the ones who aren’t willing to really fight are the ones sitting in the top row at the finale, voted out first and completely unmemorable.

Don’t play all your cards too soon. Survivor loves to cast the archetype of the Person Who’s Just Here to Play the Game. More often than not, this person comes in on day one with a devious scheme to go to the end. Sadly, this big planner usually isn’t long for this world because he or she laid it all out there too soon. When you meet a new group of people, do you explode with personality, throw it all out there and hope something sticks? If so, you may want to rethink your strategy. Sometimes, you need to sit back, assess the situation, and then make your move. The countless premature castaways have taught me that all too well.

Trust anyone you want, as long as you understand that humans are ultimately in it for themselves. Often on Survivor, you see people regretfully accepting that in life, you just can’t trust anyone. I don’t know if that’s entirely true. Survivor itself is proof that you can trust people; you just have to know how far you can throw them. We are, by nature, selfish beings. Even the nicest people have moments of self-interest. When $1,000,000 are on the line, this is especially apparent. How often do we see a Final Four Super-Alliance form on Day One, only to fall apart halfway through the game? Trust is a nasty, sneaky idea, and is often the key ingredient in every Survivor victory or failure. The ultimate truth is this: trust is the most valuable currency. Just make sure you don’t give out too much of it, or you could end up off of the Island of Life and flat-out broke.

You really can’t do it alone. I realize this is in almost direct contradiction to what I have already said, but even through my jaded lens, the most important lesson Survivor has taught me is the ultimate Paradox of Life: Nobody makes it without friends, but everyone is trying to be on top. Not a single Survivor winner did it on their own. There was at least one vote that they had to trust people to give them, at least one person who was on their side. And that is the ultimate lesson to take from this show; no matter what means you use to get to the end, how many lies you have to tell, or who you trust, people need other people to survive.

(text by: Ethan Young)

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