The Diegetic World of "Survivor"

"Survivor" is a TV show that thrives on the idea of "other-worldliness."

Average people are taken out of their average worlds and made to compete with others on an island.

There is also a pretty hefty chunk of change involved...

The reason we are drawn to the show is because it is fascinating to see how humans interact in a "different world." Nobody (or very few people) would want to watch "Survivor" if it were staged in a placid, suburban town in Ohio.

So what is different about this world?

There are many elements that make "Survivor" its own distinct diegetic world:

1. The setting is a remote island.

2. Social grouping is based on tribe. This differs from the "real" world, where people are separated based upon many other things, such as gender, occupation, and ethnicity.

3. There are "tribal councils" to determine who stays on the island and who leaves the island.

4. Lighting is provided by tiki torches.

5. Food is cooked over fires, rather than being cooked in kitchens.

6. There are competitions for "tribal immunity" (this "tribal immunity" saves the tribe from having to kick any of its members off the island) that always contain primitive and rustic tribal elements.

7. Jeff Probst is the host who facilitates the activities on the island.

8. Tribe members show their loyalty by wearing colorful, tribe-specific "buffs."

9. The food that is eaten comes from the island and the ocean by the island.

The world of "Survivor" is, in many ways, differentiated from the one in which we live. It is not different in an extreme way, like in the diegetic worlds of sci-fi shows, but it is different enough from our common experience that we are compelled to watch the show to escape our everyday lives.

The producers love this, of course, because we are watching commercials along with the show...