tullfan2 wrote:
Survivor is edited for the benefit of the average viewer not the fanatics who post here. After 7 episodes, I would think that the editors would want the viewers to remember the person who wins. With Alexis getting such little air time and Natalie even less than Alexis, I'd be surprised if either of them wins. They are just cogs in the first successful women's alliance in American Survivor history.
While your original statement is absolutely correct, I think the ramifications of it are simple: the editors want to draw viewers into a story so they will watch the next episode. The people posting here will watch it to the end, period. But the average viewer will watch an episode and either be drawn in to the story and keep watching ... or not.
The mark of a successful season is that it turns non-fans into regular viewers. "Top Chef" did that to me last season. "Celebrity Apprentice" is far more appealing than the regular Apprentice.So I don't believe the editors spend as much time thinking about a season-long arc as the people here seem to think. I think the editors' focus is on short-term ratings. They don't presume you'll watch it to the end; they want to lure you into watching to the end.
