Survivor (British series 3), also known as Survivor 2023 or simply Survivor is the first and only series of the competitive reality television series Survivor on the BBC. The series was filmed in the Summer of 2023 and began airing in October of the same year.[1][2] The series began with the 18 contestants being marooned on two remote beaches in the María Trinidad Sánchez Province in the Dominican Republic. Hosted by comedian Joel Dommett, it consisted of 16 episodes following the 34 days of the series, with one contestant being eliminated by a majority vote per episode, and the winner being awarded a grand prize of £100,000.[3][4]
Now airing on BBC One and BBC iPlayer,[5] the series was a continuation of the British edition of the Survivor franchise following a lengthy hiatus after the first and second series failed to live up to the critical praise, commercial success and cultural impact of the early seasons of the American version when they aired in the early 2000s, as they received mostly negative reviews and lower ratings than expected after airing on ITV.[6][7][8]
The contestants were initially separated into two tribes, Caletón and La Nena, each named after the names of the beaches they were on. When 11 players remained, the contestants merged into one tribe, Calena, a portmanteau of the original two tribe names.[9] The series was won by Matthew Haywood,[10] defeating Christopher Haul and Leilani Sen in a 6–1–1 jury vote to earn the title of Sole Survivor and be awarded the £100,000 grand prize.[11][12]
Production
Following the Banijay Group's acquisition of Castaway Productions, who own the Survivor format, it was said in 2017 that the company were looking to revive Survivor in the UK. Banijay's CEO Peter Langenberg spoke to Broadcast about the potential return, stating that RDF, the largest UK production company within Banijay, is attempting to rekindle interest in the format amongst broadcasters. He explained: "Having hands on the format means we can polish it and come up with Survivor 2.0, because it needs a refresh".[13]
Reports began circulating again in 2022 that the series would be revived, this time with BBC One said to be the potential new home of the series. Broadcast reported that the revival deal for Survivor is "on the brink", and that if the deal is finalised, the third series of the programme will be filmed in 2023 with thirteen episodes.[14]Digital Spy's Daniel Kilkelly put forward his hopes for a revival of the programme. He felt that the key reasons for the series' initial failure lay with having a pre-recorded format which meant that viewers had no say into the events of the series. However, Kilkelly opined that the success of The Apprentice and The Great British Bake Off, both of which use pre-recorded formats, suggested that the British audience would now be ready to support a Survivor format. In September 2022, it was confirmed that Remarkable Entertainment (a subsidiary of Banijay) would produce a new series and would air on BBC One in 2023 consisting of 16 episodes.[15][16][17] The season was then announced to be filmed in the Dominican Republic on a beach called Playa Caleton, a location where no other Survivor season had ever shot before. The temperatures were able to reach as high as 34 degrees.[18][19]
Contestant applications opened on 24 November. When casting, thousands from around the UK were in consideration but it was narrowed down to 18 for the final cast of the season.[20] With the announcement of the application process, the prize of £100,000 was revealed.[21][22] On 17 February 2023, Joel Dommett was confirmed as host of the revival, which he was excited about, stating "I’m the new host of the UK’s Survivor! I can't believe it! A huge thank you to the BBC for trusting me with this".[1][23]
International airing
The series is aired on 10Play in Australia, with episodes available on a Sunday and Monday at 8:30pm AEDT,[24] and in New Zealand on TVNZ+.[25]
Cancellation
In August 2024, it was reported that Survivor has been axed after just one series due to a struggle in ratings.[26]
In the beginning, 18 contestants were divided into two tribes – Caletón and La Nena. Though La Nena fared slightly stronger in challenges, both tribes kept an even number of members during the early phase of the game. They differed on reasons why they voted people out of the game as Caletón prioritized challenge strength, while La Nena tended to vote people out based on their social skills. On Day 10, Leilani was voted out of Caletón but instead of being eliminated, she was sent to La Nena – the series' first tribe switch.
Shortly after, there was a second tribe switch in which two members from each tribe changed. As a result of this switch, Caletón started to lose frequently. However, Doug and Pegleg, who were new to the tribe, managed to survive the votes by forming strong relationships with the original Caletón members.
On Day 19, the two tribes merged into Calena. Despite planning an alliance, the original La Nena members proved to be too dysfunctional to work together, causing multiple schemes that resulted in the elimination of original La Nena member Lee. Consensus targets Ashleigh and Doug were then targeted and voted out – both of whom originated from La Nena, giving original Caletón the lead in numbers. Sensing trouble, outsider Christopher convinced ex-Caletón member Matthew to flip on his alliance by telling him he was at the bottom of it and that Tinuke was running it. The plan worked and the flip initiated a streak of Caletón members being eliminated.
The final 6 of the series was divided into three tight duos: Christopher and Matthew, Nathan and Leilani, and Hannah and Pegleg. Each duo was fighting for the votes of another to gain a majority, resulting in Hannah and Pegleg being the swing vote. Ultimately, they chose to vote out Nathan alongside Christopher and Matthew. Christopher and Matthew then used this to their advantage by recruiting Leilani into their alliance and voting out Pegleg and Hannah as revenge at the final 4 and 5 respectively, making them the final 3 contestants.
During the Final Tribal Council, the jury mostly discarded Leilani's gameplay, considering it incompetent. Christopher received mixed reactions from them for his frantic gameplay and shaky relationships but was praised for his challenge ability. On the other hand, Matthew's well-timed gameplay decisions and strategic use of his young age to be underestimated was applauded by the jury, which led them to award him the win in a 6–1–1 vote.
In the case of multiple tribes or castaways who win reward or immunity, they are listed in order of finish, or alphabetically where it was a team effort; where one castaway won and invited others, the invitees are in brackets.
↑ In the final round, Christopher and Rachel both received injuries causing Joel to stop the challenge. Both tribes were eventually awarded the prize for the challenge winners.
↑ Pegleg was not selected for a team, however he correctly guessed the winning team, and he joined them on reward.
↑ Before voting, Caletón were informed that the person voted out would not be eliminated, and instead would switch tribes and join La Nena. Leilani joined La Nena after being voted out.
↑ Christopher played a hidden immunity idol on himself; therefore, 4 votes cast against him did not count.
↑ Christopher played an extra vote advantage, allowing him to cast two votes.
Reception
Critical response
Survivor 2023 initially received mixed-to-negative reviews but they grew far more positive over the course of its run. Initially negative reception was targeted at its music, the cast, and Joel Dommett as host. Aine Toner of Belfast Telegraph was underwhelmed by the series, writing "Joel Dommett christens Survivor the ‘most emotionally draining game on TV’ – I’d give Tipping Point that honour."[29] Helen Fear of Entertainment Daily was heavily critical of the series' host, writing "Joel Dommett is just wrong for this show. He needs to drop the dad jokes, and the awful puns. Where’s the tension?" and its Tribal Council's, writing "the tribal councils are plodding, and drawn-out. There was no suspense or tension. There was no humour or personality. Instead, it was a predictable vote."[30] In a mixed review, Rebecca Nicholson of The Guardian wrote "It isn’t a reinvention of the wheel, then, but it is an enjoyable and comfortingly recognisable trip to the beach."[31]
Later reviews of the series were generally positive, praising the gameplay of its final players and its entertaining moments. Adam Miller of Metro warmed up to the series, writing: "Survivor just gets so much better once you’ve got through the first few episodes. I’m completely hooked. You need to invest in the first few slow episodes while learning names and whatnot but these latest episodes are absolutely electric."[32]
Ratings
The revival series received underwhelming ratings compared its high budget, earning a fraction of the viewership of series 21 of Strictly Come Dancing, the show which aired before it on BBC One, causing crisis talks to ponder on how to improve the series' viewership.[33]
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