This definitely happened to me long before the "new era" (40) and even before show locked into permanent Fiji, which I think was s.32?
There are honestly season where I don't even remember the winners/finalists by name - images work for me much better than names. But yeah, I don't' know if it's my age or just over-saturation, but I honestly can't even always remember what happened at the beginning of a season by the time we get to the end. It took me a bit into the reunion this season to remember that >!people on Yanu in the earliest episodes were worried about Kenzie being a big social threat and wanting to potentially get rid of her before the merge, which I think made a stronger case for her to win!< (spoiler just in case anyone hasn't seen this season's finale yet).
Makes me wonder why they don’t just bring it back to the US and find some secluded beach there to film. Would save money and could even give them enough to extend it back to 39 days
I recently even saw a photo of Sammi and just couldn't remember his name. I think the lack of season themes and lack of different locations helps all aspects of the New Era just blend together into a monotonous slog.
I wish they’d go back to themes!!! ‘Season blah blah blah’ is so boring and it means nothing to me. But give me a ‘heroes vs villains’ or whatever and I can picture the players and what the season was like!
Same here
I absolutely LOVE the show, but then I see *'x should have played their idol so the waki waki tribe went into merge with numbers'* and I'm like 'huh'
I barely remember a lot of players from the mid game, let alone the freaking tribe names!!
This is the one that gets me. I can remember a lot of players, all the winners, etc., but some people on here can just remember the most random of votes that didn't even seem that important on the first watch.
Also reducing the number of days really keeps you from getting to know the cast. 39 days was a loong time! Rewards were better, challenges had more variety, more relationships built.
Also, when the seasons only had two tribes, you got to spend more time per episode with each tribe than when it's split between three.
I actually think the new longer episodes have helped us get to know some of the players *better* than we used to, though, even with the reduced 26 day schedule.
I remember very few tribe names even in the middle of a season. I just think of them as the red tribe, blue tribe, etc. The only three old tribe names that I remember are because the name has been turned into a term (pagong the other tribe, intentional matsing) or because Stephanie LaGrossa called ulong "poolong".
They won't even add their season, or a last name. People here will refer to a random D tier players from an old season and act like everyone should know them
This is basically the case for me too! I see people who play the game, and call themselves *"superfans"*, but I just can't do it. I can memorize and recall all sorts of information for the things I'm really into, but I just can't do it for Survivor. I like the show, and typically find myself invested in each season as I watch it. But I just can't absorb all the information about the show, and each of its past seasons, like that.
I've watched 46 seasons of a show over the course of 20 years, most multiple times, and discuss them on multiple forms of social media. It's hard to believe that doesn't qualify as a super fan, I think some of the people here just take it to an even higher level of obsession.
Glad I'm not the only one... almost afraid to comment here sometimes, so many people take it so seriously with knowing every detail of every season. I watch for fun, remember the big personalities, and forget the rest unless I'm reminded.
When Hunter failed the thing where he had to put the seasons in order and people here were like "man every single one of us would've gotten that easy". Yeah, no I might've gotten Borneo except it didn't say Borneo on the symbol so it probably would've taken me most of the time he had to logic that out.
Ha, yeah, I wouldn't have gotten anywhere close to solving that. The memories I do have, mostly aren't arranged by season name or logo, and only *roughly* chronologically.
This now has me wondering, is there an acknowledged "Ken Jennings" of Survivor trivia?
There are 43 different people in this subreddit that can tell you the exact vote breakdown of the 3rd tribal council of season 18 while accurately describing the outfit each cast member was wearing.
Same. I remember the faces and if there was a multiple choice test where i had to match the names to the face, i could remember. But outside of the big stars, I could not name anyone off the top of my head. Whenever someone is talking about a past season in here, i need to google who they are talking about. Legit already forgot the name of this season’s winner. Lexi?….Googled it, it was Kenzie 🤣
Same. But I’m sure you like me don’t immediately go and follow all these people you will never meet on social media.
A lot of the people in this sub that know every player have a weird fixation with following and knowing everything about them after the game ends.
I’ve seen every season while it aired, but never again. When Hunter had the challenge to order the logos and everyone was saying how easy it was I was thinking there was absolutely no way in hell I could do it despite watching since season 1.
My parents, sister and I have been watching since Borneo, seen every season. Even the four of us together could not order them correctly (though we were kinda close).
Ive seen every season when it aired with at least 2 researches up until the new generation and I felt that was an unfair task unless they pulled a taskmaster and had a solver hint hidden nearby.
This.
That was by far the hardest challenge in the history of survivor. I really like survivor but I couldn't even tell you the first session let alone first 3 seasons, or 45+ seasons.
Because you’re probably a normal person who watches the episode once and doesn’t spend countless hours on fan sites & wiki pages
And then there’s us superfans, who make up a minority of the total viewership but a majority of the content on fan sites like this one
I remember Pagong, due to the Pagonging. I can't name a single other tribe, including from the season we just watched. I just remember them by colors, not names.
I only remember Murlonio because Rob tricked the tribe into thinking it was some cool translation but it was just the name of the ringleader of amber’s stuffed animals
Some are memorable when we learn the reason for the name.
Dabu in Micronesia because Erik thought it sounded cool. Murlonio in Redemption Island because Rob was poking fun at Amber's stuffed animals. Enil Edam in Philippines because Malcolm's mom. Merica in Worlds Apart because Mike.
The only tribe name I can remember is Ulong. And it’s because they lost everything. I don’t even know what season that is. I just remember last two members being Stephenie and Bobby Jon and they still lost lol
And I guess pagong bc it was season one and set the stage of tribe alliances.
Nah I’m the same. There are way too many god damn seasons and contestants for me to remember everyone. Once a season ends I will forget 90% of its contestants. The other day I literally had to Google who was in the final 3 with yam yam and Caroline and even after reading the name I had a “who the fuck is that?” And that was like 2 seasons ago lol
a couple months ago i started binge watching survivor seasons on the weekends, i'm halfway through All Stars Season 8 right now... and I've already forgotten so many people from like 1-5
I watched a bunch over the last year and was in the sub so many got spoiled. However, I completely forgot by the time I actually watched those seasons, especially because so many people play more than once. I might know they're a winner, but they played 3 times.
I binged the whole show last year for the first time so everything's still fresh on my mind, I'm sure I'm not the only one who watched it all fairly recently. Right now I could rattle off probably 70+% of every cast, but in a few years I'm assuming I won't even be close to that lol
Yeah, it's not an issue of *how many* episodes you've watched, it's about *how many times* and *how recently* you've seen those seasons.
Of course you aren't going to remember minor characters from 15-20 years ago! But if you've rewatched that season within the last 2 years, or have seen a season 3 times, it's understandable you "know" a season better.
When that nice lady asked if she could come to this sub or if we would hate her I was like have I even seen her before??? And then I saw SHE WAS FROM LAST SEASON
SAME and THANK YOU! The way this sub slings contestants out without last names makes me immediately GFTO. I love talking about stuff, but not all of us, despite watching the majority of seasons, are def not super fans, but we are here. And we exist.
I just did and I forgot 90% including winners 😂 I remember key moments but a lot is already gone from the second viewing. I took some notes so I could talk about it w my buddy because he's a few behind me.
But there is like 700? As humans research says we can remember around 125 people on the average. So...yeah.
The pretty blondes all blend together for me.
I feel the same. Seems like some posters here remember every contestant and every episode. A lot of the posts make me think "who?" but I usually can figure it out.
I can only instantly recall contestants from: the first two seasons, seasons I’ve watched more than once, extremely memorable players, and returning players.
I can barely play my own damn Sporcle quizzes anymore.
[Survivor Contestants (US 1-18)](https://www.sporcle.com/games/xbelle89x/survivor-contestants-us)
[Survivor Contestants (US 19-38)](https://www.sporcle.com/games/xbelle89x/survivor-contestants-us-19-)
[Survivor Contestants (US 39-46)](https://www.sporcle.com/games/xbelle89x/survivor-contestants-us-39)
They're split because Sporcle only allows for 300 answers per quiz (or at least used to idk anymore). And all returning players are skipped and only referenced in their original season, so all full-returnee seasons are skipped, partial-returnee seasons have only the newbies in them. Just some space-saving BS. :P
I'm taking my own quizzes right now, I have next to no memory of 42. WHO THE FUCK EVEN WON, LIKE WHAT? I literally only have Mike, Rocksroy, and Jenny down and WHAT THE FUCK EVEN IS THAT WEIRD SPREAD OF PEOPLE
I only remember the legendary players and the ones who were just really memorable in general. From this season, I doubt I will remember anyone other than Q and Venus in 5 years.
I have watched every single episode since the first.
I know some names, but I am with you -- they do not make an impact in my life.
I never rewatch any season, and I do not pour over their countless posts and related. I do not "follow them." They are average Joe's who got picked to play a game -- that is it.
It is simple: I watch, let the season unfold, and do not care about edits or info or predictions. The winner is announced. I make note of the next season's first air date, and I go live life.
I remember Big Brother players more because I watch live feeds, and Challenge players more because they recast them season after season.
Like a few days ago someone was selling a Carson pillow and I was like Carson???
Yea, its embarrassing how bad I forget the names of some of them even while watching the current season lol, and then I largely forget the names of most people on older seasons (while remembering the faces only), but if I get the right trigger, my brain will remember bits and pieces.
I especially forget the several early ones that get voted out unless you're memorable like Jelinsky.
I just finished watching survivor Fiji for the first time and genuinely didn’t even remember some of the people that were on the jury when they started speaking at FTC.
I always have to Google and do a little refresh. Even seeing them clean and healthy like latsr won't jog the memory. I've gotta see them on the island and dirty to recognize.
After 500+ people on the show, it's reasonable to remember only the big players.
I mean, how many people do you meet on a monthly basis that you forget about after you are done talking to them.
You can't remember everyone, especially those who have had little impact on your life.
My mom is the same way. She forgets a season immediately after it airs. No big memory problems overall, it just doesn’t stick.
It’s pretty funny when re-watching this or TAR though lol
Same here. Though I used to be incredibly obsessed. Seasons 1-7 I would tape and rewatch over and over throughout the week (I bought season 1 VHS on ebay!)
So, I can name every season and winner inorder, but, I cannot name almost any premerger unless they made a serious impact, so, you're definitely not alone.
Same. Half the time I’m worried about spoiling a season by looking up some reference and then realized it’s from Vanuatu or old-era Fiji that I watched 20 years ago.
Kind of a similar deal here. For me prefering the earlier seasons, I actually fondly recall a lot of the early season contestants but draw a blank with a lot of the contestants over the last 5-10 seasons. I tend to forget most of them as soon as the season is over (and one or two seasons in recent years I've actually lost interest at some point as well like Island of the Idols).
I’ve never watched any season more than twice, and I’ve mainly watched them all as they aired over the course of 20+ years, so a lot of the finer details slip my mind. If I google them and put a face to the name I can usually recall the basics of their gameplay, though.
I’m like you lol I just started watching The Challenge and it has former survivor players and I didn’t recognize like 2 of them. Like who is Desi I don’t remember her even a little bit
I totally agree with you! I think maybe it’s because some of the younger viewers are just getting into it and watching the season so it’s all fresh to them. But I watched them all in real time since the year 2000 so a lot of these people, I’ve no idea who they are.
I use this sub as a way to rewatch or watch seasons I haven’t… so all the names are very relevant in the moment but you could say a location and a name and I’m not sure I could picture the correct person unless that was the season I was/am currently on
Nope! I have watched every season even when people were like, that show was still on? I got deeper into every season and all of the relationships and interactions. By the time the next season starts, I can pretty much remember one or two people let alone remember who won lol. I think it's just a massive amount of information from some of these seasons that overloads my brain!
I know it was due to covid necessity, but the recent seasons on-site finale with no audience is doing a disservice to the larger game. By focusing more on the jury and finalist phase, the audience tends to forget how they got there. Even the last decade of live finales we got to hear very little from the pre-jury members. I remember when Jeff at least used to let everyone say a quick something about the game and their post-show lives.
Pre-jury jow, you gotta do something colossally boneheaded to be remembered, like jalensky and "several" or Brandon thwarted by a ladder.
I watch with my parents a lot, and my dad is worse. He forgets entire seasons after we finish watching them, and can’t remember folks from the current season week to week.
(Edit to add: I feel like this sounds concerning without context, but my dads memory has always varied wildly between topics - names are a no go, but hyper specific details of battles during the crusades or other wars in the Middle Ages are 👌🏼)
I've watched every season of Survivor. Off the top of my head, here are the players' names I can remember: B Rob, Natalie, Tony, Sandra, Parvati, Ethan, Ambuh, Carolyn.
Yeah, that's it. I could probably remember a few more if I took the time to try.
I bought every season on DVD until they stopped making them because of streaming. I've seen every season at least three times. I can't remember hardly any of the people other than the people in the final five or so. And most seasons I can watch again and it's basically brand new to me even though I've seen it several times before.
Some people follow Survivor the same way others follow sports. Some sports fans can tell you every player on a team (tribe) and all the stats that go with them. RHAP is just ESPN commentary for Survivor.
But I’m with you. I remember only the big names and the ones I personally liked.
I’m gonna grant you advantage for saying what I’ve been feeling for quite a long time…
I’ve seen every season from the very beginning also and sometimes I look at these posts and like who in the daylight are you talking about?
LOLOLOLOL this asshole doesn’t remember Stephanie Dill **or** Johnson.
Imagine being such a loser with interests and a life outside of a reality tv show
It admittedly helps to fall down an occasional internet rabbit hole where you either rewatch tribal council scenes on YouTube or just scroll through the character pages of certain seasons on TV Tropes when you're bored.
I'm not good with names. I often have to do a search for whoever people are talking about, so I can see a face or what season they were on, then I remember.
Nah, I'm with you. I love Survivor but I don't go deep into remembering everyone's names and what tribes they were on, etc. That's just not how my mind works.
Same I’ve seen every single season, mind you only once over I dont remember anybody, other than those featured multiple times. If they weren’t featured more than once I probably wouldn’t remember either. The super fans they bring on always impress me with how much they are able to recall
I can remember people but not every person they voted for or what kind of player they were if we haven’t seen them return. I got roasted for not remembering that Devin from HHH should have won according to Reddit.
im a late comer so i just started binging seasons out of order a few years ago. there are some seasons i finish and i barely know anyones name ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I thought everyone remembered every castaway until I got a reality check one day. When Survivor Africa was airing, I remember bringing up Australian Outback contestants to my sister and her being like, "Who the hell was that??". I thought it was weird that she didn't remember people we watched a few months ago. But the older O got, I realized I was the weird one for knowing every single contestant from every season. I even know the boot order up until like Panama.
And with 46 I was also wondering if most of the viewers knew wtf Jeff was talking about when he kept bringing up Jelensky weeks later
Exact same way. Thanks for sharing. I thought I was going nuts.
And I’ll see pics of past contestants and think, “when was he/she on?!”
It subtly haunts me that I’m losing my mind.
So glad you posted this.
I had a crush on Hunter Ellis and remember him (and hate Boston Rob because of how he treated Hunter) but I can remember almost no one. I'm the same way with books though. Can be completely enthralled and once I start a new book, the old one just melts away.
After a season is over, my mind usually goes blank and I forget most people.
I just re-watched season 33(Millenials vs Gen X) and it was fun because all the names I remember and forgot they played in the same season together.
It comes back to you but I agree, it’s crazy when you say a season and people remember a ton of names.
You are not the only one! I am amazed at how people can quote seasons and players. I can barely remember people who get voted off early in a season and have no memory of past seasons at all.
I keep the live survivor channel on paramount plus on as background noise when I’m not watching anything else and I am able to catch things on this reddit I didn’t before even tho I have seen every episode before too!! Highly recommend ☺️
I get in fights with my wife all the time about how I can’t remember anything and I use survivor as my example “that’s not true!!! I fucking love survivor and watched every episode minimum 2 times and I would fail every trivia” hell I haven’t applied for the show for that reason “Super fan!” Fails at trivia or puzzle on the history
I am the exact same. I can remember a few of the big ones, but it’s almost like a month after a season airs they all erase from my brain 😂
There were people on the most recent season I’d completely forgotten before the season was even finished
Also the new era doesn't have themes or different locations. I forget them until I see a picture of them. Then I remember them
This is the main issue. The same location just melts everyone together
This definitely happened to me long before the "new era" (40) and even before show locked into permanent Fiji, which I think was s.32? There are honestly season where I don't even remember the winners/finalists by name - images work for me much better than names. But yeah, I don't' know if it's my age or just over-saturation, but I honestly can't even always remember what happened at the beginning of a season by the time we get to the end. It took me a bit into the reunion this season to remember that >!people on Yanu in the earliest episodes were worried about Kenzie being a big social threat and wanting to potentially get rid of her before the merge, which I think made a stronger case for her to win!< (spoiler just in case anyone hasn't seen this season's finale yet).
Makes me wonder why they don’t just bring it back to the US and find some secluded beach there to film. Would save money and could even give them enough to extend it back to 39 days
>Would save money Cute that you think that. Cost of travel/lodging the staff doesnt compare to the savings and tax breaks the show gets in Fiji
Plus the crew probably has houses in Fiji they just go to when not on duty. I think I read on her that Jeff has a house close to camp that he owns.
Lol shooting anything, ANYTHING in America when you don't have to is throwing money away.
Dad. Is that you ?
Are there any secluded beaches in the US anymore?
I recently even saw a photo of Sammi and just couldn't remember his name. I think the lack of season themes and lack of different locations helps all aspects of the New Era just blend together into a monotonous slog.
I wish they’d go back to themes!!! ‘Season blah blah blah’ is so boring and it means nothing to me. But give me a ‘heroes vs villains’ or whatever and I can picture the players and what the season was like!
Same. Or blood vs water or brains vs Brainless (people who society Deems as unintentionally). Maybe even a spy theme. Just freaking something.
It’s getting really boring
Real. Me.
me to
Same here I absolutely LOVE the show, but then I see *'x should have played their idol so the waki waki tribe went into merge with numbers'* and I'm like 'huh' I barely remember a lot of players from the mid game, let alone the freaking tribe names!!
This is the one that gets me. I can remember a lot of players, all the winners, etc., but some people on here can just remember the most random of votes that didn't even seem that important on the first watch.
Also reducing the number of days really keeps you from getting to know the cast. 39 days was a loong time! Rewards were better, challenges had more variety, more relationships built.
Also, when the seasons only had two tribes, you got to spend more time per episode with each tribe than when it's split between three. I actually think the new longer episodes have helped us get to know some of the players *better* than we used to, though, even with the reduced 26 day schedule.
I remember very few tribe names even in the middle of a season. I just think of them as the red tribe, blue tribe, etc. The only three old tribe names that I remember are because the name has been turned into a term (pagong the other tribe, intentional matsing) or because Stephanie LaGrossa called ulong "poolong".
I’m exactly the same, but I also remember Raro Tribe, which had Candice from Raro Tribe on it.
Sometimes when people throw a random name out in a discussion on here I just pretend I know who they’re talking about lmao
“Ah yes, Jackson from Palau, who could forget my favorite player!”
They won't even add their season, or a last name. People here will refer to a random D tier players from an old season and act like everyone should know them
This is basically the case for me too! I see people who play the game, and call themselves *"superfans"*, but I just can't do it. I can memorize and recall all sorts of information for the things I'm really into, but I just can't do it for Survivor. I like the show, and typically find myself invested in each season as I watch it. But I just can't absorb all the information about the show, and each of its past seasons, like that.
Yeah, I don't consider myself a super fan, haha
I've watched 46 seasons of a show over the course of 20 years, most multiple times, and discuss them on multiple forms of social media. It's hard to believe that doesn't qualify as a super fan, I think some of the people here just take it to an even higher level of obsession.
I have the memories, but to unlock them I have to start the first episode and then I remember the whole plot.
You sound exactly like my dad - who I watch with a lot
A lot of people are like that. Don't know why.
It takes me like half the season to remember everyone’s names and that’s because the other half got voted out already.
Glad I'm not the only one... almost afraid to comment here sometimes, so many people take it so seriously with knowing every detail of every season. I watch for fun, remember the big personalities, and forget the rest unless I'm reminded.
When Hunter failed the thing where he had to put the seasons in order and people here were like "man every single one of us would've gotten that easy". Yeah, no I might've gotten Borneo except it didn't say Borneo on the symbol so it probably would've taken me most of the time he had to logic that out.
Ha, yeah, I wouldn't have gotten anywhere close to solving that. The memories I do have, mostly aren't arranged by season name or logo, and only *roughly* chronologically. This now has me wondering, is there an acknowledged "Ken Jennings" of Survivor trivia?
There are 43 different people in this subreddit that can tell you the exact vote breakdown of the 3rd tribal council of season 18 while accurately describing the outfit each cast member was wearing.
I tried to do this by memory and was only off by one vote, and the outfits
I've read that Max from Worlds Apart was sort of the answer for this
Same. I remember the faces and if there was a multiple choice test where i had to match the names to the face, i could remember. But outside of the big stars, I could not name anyone off the top of my head. Whenever someone is talking about a past season in here, i need to google who they are talking about. Legit already forgot the name of this season’s winner. Lexi?….Googled it, it was Kenzie 🤣
Same. But I’m sure you like me don’t immediately go and follow all these people you will never meet on social media. A lot of the people in this sub that know every player have a weird fixation with following and knowing everything about them after the game ends.
Or learning everything about them as soon as the names of the cast leak.
Me too!! Same with Big Brother.
I’ve seen every season while it aired, but never again. When Hunter had the challenge to order the logos and everyone was saying how easy it was I was thinking there was absolutely no way in hell I could do it despite watching since season 1.
My parents, sister and I have been watching since Borneo, seen every season. Even the four of us together could not order them correctly (though we were kinda close).
Ive seen every season when it aired with at least 2 researches up until the new generation and I felt that was an unfair task unless they pulled a taskmaster and had a solver hint hidden nearby.
I already forgot Hunter had that challenge 😂
This. That was by far the hardest challenge in the history of survivor. I really like survivor but I couldn't even tell you the first session let alone first 3 seasons, or 45+ seasons.
It's a tough one, but I do believe I could get the order. But wasn't there a time limit, too? That's what would worry me.
Because you’re probably a normal person who watches the episode once and doesn’t spend countless hours on fan sites & wiki pages And then there’s us superfans, who make up a minority of the total viewership but a majority of the content on fan sites like this one
Yeah survivor is my favorite show to watch as background noise so it’s always on in my house. I know wayyyy too much but it’s my comfort show.
Don’t even get me started on tribe names…
Oh man, I have never remembered a single tribe name even during the seasons I’m currently watching. Thank Jeff for convenient color-coding.
I only ever remember the merge tribe Enil Edam
I only remember "Murica" bc it was the dumbest tribe name ever.
The only one I remember is Raro. Because “Candice, from Raro tribe?” is burned into my memory.
I remember Pagong, due to the Pagonging. I can't name a single other tribe, including from the season we just watched. I just remember them by colors, not names.
It's Rarotonga though hahaha
hahah WELP
I remember Reba just like them rotisserie chickens
I only remember Murlonio because Rob tricked the tribe into thinking it was some cool translation but it was just the name of the ringleader of amber’s stuffed animals
In my head, every season has had a tribe name lulu.
Some are memorable when we learn the reason for the name. Dabu in Micronesia because Erik thought it sounded cool. Murlonio in Redemption Island because Rob was poking fun at Amber's stuffed animals. Enil Edam in Philippines because Malcolm's mom. Merica in Worlds Apart because Mike.
That one is wild to me and then they start busting out the buff colours, like
Well hold on I totally remember purple tribe, several of them in fact. Presumably they were on various seasons and had their own names.
Murlonio!!
I remember Koror because that is the only one to last longer than half a season.
The only tribe name I can remember is Ulong. And it’s because they lost everything. I don’t even know what season that is. I just remember last two members being Stephenie and Bobby Jon and they still lost lol And I guess pagong bc it was season one and set the stage of tribe alliances.
Ulong/Koror and Drake/Morgan are the only ones I can recall
Nah I’m the same. There are way too many god damn seasons and contestants for me to remember everyone. Once a season ends I will forget 90% of its contestants. The other day I literally had to Google who was in the final 3 with yam yam and Caroline and even after reading the name I had a “who the fuck is that?” And that was like 2 seasons ago lol
a couple months ago i started binge watching survivor seasons on the weekends, i'm halfway through All Stars Season 8 right now... and I've already forgotten so many people from like 1-5
Omg same. Like exact same hahaa
Way too many people for my brain to keep track of! haha
I watched a bunch over the last year and was in the sub so many got spoiled. However, I completely forgot by the time I actually watched those seasons, especially because so many people play more than once. I might know they're a winner, but they played 3 times.
People here have bizarre photographic memories of survivor. Personally, I have bizarre photographic memories of my favorite movies and songs.
For me it's professional wrestling. I think something about Survivor attracts people like that
Brother, I know where I was when the Hulkster slammed Andre!
Same for me. I can barely remember the names of the current season. I marvel at how well versed people are on the history.
I binged the whole show last year for the first time so everything's still fresh on my mind, I'm sure I'm not the only one who watched it all fairly recently. Right now I could rattle off probably 70+% of every cast, but in a few years I'm assuming I won't even be close to that lol
Yeah, it's not an issue of *how many* episodes you've watched, it's about *how many times* and *how recently* you've seen those seasons. Of course you aren't going to remember minor characters from 15-20 years ago! But if you've rewatched that season within the last 2 years, or have seen a season 3 times, it's understandable you "know" a season better.
That's actually pretty impressive. If I binged everything, then every season would just seem jumbled together
When that nice lady asked if she could come to this sub or if we would hate her I was like have I even seen her before??? And then I saw SHE WAS FROM LAST SEASON
Omg I’m so glad you wrote this. This sub has had me convinced for years that I have early onset dementia
SAME and THANK YOU! The way this sub slings contestants out without last names makes me immediately GFTO. I love talking about stuff, but not all of us, despite watching the majority of seasons, are def not super fans, but we are here. And we exist.
Oh thank god, I've finally found my people
Me too!!
Same. I can’t believe I watched 41 and 42, I know about as much details from those as I do from the seasons I didn’t watch
Same. Day one viewer, have no idea who was on what season for the most part, or who was voted out when.
Rick Devens being in the same tier as those legends...
You are not the only one. I could go back and watch a prior season and it would be like I’m watching for the 1st time.
I just did and I forgot 90% including winners 😂 I remember key moments but a lot is already gone from the second viewing. I took some notes so I could talk about it w my buddy because he's a few behind me. But there is like 700? As humans research says we can remember around 125 people on the average. So...yeah. The pretty blondes all blend together for me.
I feel the same. Seems like some posters here remember every contestant and every episode. A lot of the posts make me think "who?" but I usually can figure it out.
I can only instantly recall contestants from: the first two seasons, seasons I’ve watched more than once, extremely memorable players, and returning players.
Haha, I seem to remember the ones I didn't like And Terry. I always remember Terry 💝
Kelly wentworth
I remember!
I forgot Lisa Wechel was on survivor, and I great up watching her as Blaire from The Facts of Life!
OMG we're being invaded by casuals!
Without the themes, the cast from 41 onwards are all blending together for me
Same. Even the winners. There are some recent ones like YamYam and Gabler that I remember, but I can't tell you the winners from the past 10 seasons
I can barely play my own damn Sporcle quizzes anymore. [Survivor Contestants (US 1-18)](https://www.sporcle.com/games/xbelle89x/survivor-contestants-us) [Survivor Contestants (US 19-38)](https://www.sporcle.com/games/xbelle89x/survivor-contestants-us-19-) [Survivor Contestants (US 39-46)](https://www.sporcle.com/games/xbelle89x/survivor-contestants-us-39) They're split because Sporcle only allows for 300 answers per quiz (or at least used to idk anymore). And all returning players are skipped and only referenced in their original season, so all full-returnee seasons are skipped, partial-returnee seasons have only the newbies in them. Just some space-saving BS. :P
I'm taking my own quizzes right now, I have next to no memory of 42. WHO THE FUCK EVEN WON, LIKE WHAT? I literally only have Mike, Rocksroy, and Jenny down and WHAT THE FUCK EVEN IS THAT WEIRD SPREAD OF PEOPLE
Maryanne is unforgettable
I'm in the same boat. They even mention players from 3 seasons back and I have already forgotten them
I only remember the legendary players and the ones who were just really memorable in general. From this season, I doubt I will remember anyone other than Q and Venus in 5 years.
I have watched every single episode since the first. I know some names, but I am with you -- they do not make an impact in my life. I never rewatch any season, and I do not pour over their countless posts and related. I do not "follow them." They are average Joe's who got picked to play a game -- that is it. It is simple: I watch, let the season unfold, and do not care about edits or info or predictions. The winner is announced. I make note of the next season's first air date, and I go live life.
Same. I usually don’t even remember the people that got booted pre-merge sometimes even pre-jury.
I'm embarrassed I forgot who Devin is.
I remember him because my young son loved him so much. I actually paid for a Cameo for my son from him!
I feel this way mostly but then I'll randomly remember Mary from Micronesia or Hope from Caramoan 😍
Mary? Who’s Mary?
This is how I feel about Jerry from Tocantins or JoAnna from The Amazon
I remember Big Brother players more because I watch live feeds, and Challenge players more because they recast them season after season. Like a few days ago someone was selling a Carson pillow and I was like Carson???
Yea, its embarrassing how bad I forget the names of some of them even while watching the current season lol, and then I largely forget the names of most people on older seasons (while remembering the faces only), but if I get the right trigger, my brain will remember bits and pieces. I especially forget the several early ones that get voted out unless you're memorable like Jelinsky.
I just finished watching survivor Fiji for the first time and genuinely didn’t even remember some of the people that were on the jury when they started speaking at FTC.
I always have to Google and do a little refresh. Even seeing them clean and healthy like latsr won't jog the memory. I've gotta see them on the island and dirty to recognize.
After 500+ people on the show, it's reasonable to remember only the big players. I mean, how many people do you meet on a monthly basis that you forget about after you are done talking to them. You can't remember everyone, especially those who have had little impact on your life.
My mom is the same way. She forgets a season immediately after it airs. No big memory problems overall, it just doesn’t stick. It’s pretty funny when re-watching this or TAR though lol
Yeah, there is a lot of Google (random name) survivor for me.
Same here. Though I used to be incredibly obsessed. Seasons 1-7 I would tape and rewatch over and over throughout the week (I bought season 1 VHS on ebay!)
Lol I remember the VHS days. I think China was the last one I recorded. I thought I'd keep those things forever.
Hello I have ADHD and don’t remember shit!
So, I can name every season and winner inorder, but, I cannot name almost any premerger unless they made a serious impact, so, you're definitely not alone.
Yes but I have severe brain damage... Perhaps have you had seven concussions too?
You poor baby. Ex NFL or military?
yeah I'm the same... people will be like "yeah when sara on tornado island did xyz" I'm like WTF are these people talking about.
Same. Half the time I’m worried about spoiling a season by looking up some reference and then realized it’s from Vanuatu or old-era Fiji that I watched 20 years ago.
Kind of a similar deal here. For me prefering the earlier seasons, I actually fondly recall a lot of the early season contestants but draw a blank with a lot of the contestants over the last 5-10 seasons. I tend to forget most of them as soon as the season is over (and one or two seasons in recent years I've actually lost interest at some point as well like Island of the Idols).
Generic people.
I remember probably 25% of the players (probably like 5 from each season) but people that know random 3rd boots and obscure facts about them are wild.
Same here. It's normal. When a new season comes, the new cast members replace the previous ones in your memory.
Me too!!!
I started at season 45. I don’t know what the fuck is ever going on here
Sammmeeee. I see photos from past seasons people share and I’m like I’ve literally never seen some of these people in my life.
lmao did how can you not remember characters like Orgis, Spuzz, and Blorfkin? Sounds like a fake fan to me....
No OP you're not the only one! 😊
I’ve never watched any season more than twice, and I’ve mainly watched them all as they aired over the course of 20+ years, so a lot of the finer details slip my mind. If I google them and put a face to the name I can usually recall the basics of their gameplay, though.
same. I only remember my favorites
I’m like you lol I just started watching The Challenge and it has former survivor players and I didn’t recognize like 2 of them. Like who is Desi I don’t remember her even a little bit
I’m right there with you!!!!
Hey OP, favorite Ashley Underwood moment?
Zero recollection, even after Googling.
I’ve watched and rewatched little else but survivor since early last year and I’m the same way
I totally agree with you! I think maybe it’s because some of the younger viewers are just getting into it and watching the season so it’s all fresh to them. But I watched them all in real time since the year 2000 so a lot of these people, I’ve no idea who they are.
I use this sub as a way to rewatch or watch seasons I haven’t… so all the names are very relevant in the moment but you could say a location and a name and I’m not sure I could picture the correct person unless that was the season I was/am currently on
Saaaaame!
Same
Same for me but I like it that way in case I want to go back and rewatch a season.
Nope! I have watched every season even when people were like, that show was still on? I got deeper into every season and all of the relationships and interactions. By the time the next season starts, I can pretty much remember one or two people let alone remember who won lol. I think it's just a massive amount of information from some of these seasons that overloads my brain!
I know it was due to covid necessity, but the recent seasons on-site finale with no audience is doing a disservice to the larger game. By focusing more on the jury and finalist phase, the audience tends to forget how they got there. Even the last decade of live finales we got to hear very little from the pre-jury members. I remember when Jeff at least used to let everyone say a quick something about the game and their post-show lives. Pre-jury jow, you gotta do something colossally boneheaded to be remembered, like jalensky and "several" or Brandon thwarted by a ladder.
I watch with my parents a lot, and my dad is worse. He forgets entire seasons after we finish watching them, and can’t remember folks from the current season week to week. (Edit to add: I feel like this sounds concerning without context, but my dads memory has always varied wildly between topics - names are a no go, but hyper specific details of battles during the crusades or other wars in the Middle Ages are 👌🏼)
I've watched every season of Survivor. Off the top of my head, here are the players' names I can remember: B Rob, Natalie, Tony, Sandra, Parvati, Ethan, Ambuh, Carolyn. Yeah, that's it. I could probably remember a few more if I took the time to try.
Same. But to be fair, since we (at least I) watched them as they aired, remembering anyone from early seasons is actually impressive.
Not just you. Apparently my brain jettisons detailed memories about most tv and movies that I have watched.
I bought every season on DVD until they stopped making them because of streaming. I've seen every season at least three times. I can't remember hardly any of the people other than the people in the final five or so. And most seasons I can watch again and it's basically brand new to me even though I've seen it several times before.
Same, especially in seasons 30-44. Get used to it, we are getting old 😭
Some people follow Survivor the same way others follow sports. Some sports fans can tell you every player on a team (tribe) and all the stats that go with them. RHAP is just ESPN commentary for Survivor. But I’m with you. I remember only the big names and the ones I personally liked.
I’m gonna grant you advantage for saying what I’ve been feeling for quite a long time… I’ve seen every season from the very beginning also and sometimes I look at these posts and like who in the daylight are you talking about?
SAME! Thank you for being brave and putting it out there.
And I thought I was the only one.
When I’m on this sub, I have to be reminded of who the hell the early ones voted off are, and that’s before the season is over even!
OMG... thank you. I thought it was just me. By the time one season starts I've forgotten who won the last one.
Totally not the only one...
Holy cow, I thought I was the only one. Seen every episode and legit have to google names after reading this sub.
I only remember my all-time favorites like Rupert, Ozzy, and James.
LOLOLOLOL this asshole doesn’t remember Stephanie Dill **or** Johnson. Imagine being such a loser with interests and a life outside of a reality tv show
1000% Those that watch this closely and study the game just want to be professional reality TV stars
Don’t worry, my friend can’t remember the names of the first boots of the season he’s watching lol
Same!
Literally me
Haha me too
You sound exactly like my parents!
I binge watched them so it's easier
It admittedly helps to fall down an occasional internet rabbit hole where you either rewatch tribal council scenes on YouTube or just scroll through the character pages of certain seasons on TV Tropes when you're bored.
I'm not good with names. I often have to do a search for whoever people are talking about, so I can see a face or what season they were on, then I remember.
I've seen all except the first season. I'm the same way. I'm more visual so most names don't ring my bell.
Same!
I could probably name off the cast of season 2 if I saw their picture but I doubt I would get more than half of last season.
Nope. But natural since so many seasons
Nah, I'm with you. I love Survivor but I don't go deep into remembering everyone's names and what tribes they were on, etc. That's just not how my mind works.
Same I’ve seen every single season, mind you only once over I dont remember anybody, other than those featured multiple times. If they weren’t featured more than once I probably wouldn’t remember either. The super fans they bring on always impress me with how much they are able to recall
Same
I can remember people but not every person they voted for or what kind of player they were if we haven’t seen them return. I got roasted for not remembering that Devin from HHH should have won according to Reddit.
im a late comer so i just started binging seasons out of order a few years ago. there are some seasons i finish and i barely know anyones name ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I thought everyone remembered every castaway until I got a reality check one day. When Survivor Africa was airing, I remember bringing up Australian Outback contestants to my sister and her being like, "Who the hell was that??". I thought it was weird that she didn't remember people we watched a few months ago. But the older O got, I realized I was the weird one for knowing every single contestant from every season. I even know the boot order up until like Panama. And with 46 I was also wondering if most of the viewers knew wtf Jeff was talking about when he kept bringing up Jelensky weeks later
Me too!
Exact same way. Thanks for sharing. I thought I was going nuts. And I’ll see pics of past contestants and think, “when was he/she on?!” It subtly haunts me that I’m losing my mind. So glad you posted this.
I had a crush on Hunter Ellis and remember him (and hate Boston Rob because of how he treated Hunter) but I can remember almost no one. I'm the same way with books though. Can be completely enthralled and once I start a new book, the old one just melts away.
Because these are the super fans Jeff likes to cast. I only remember a few of them myself. I don’t even remember some winners.
Same!!!!
After a season is over, my mind usually goes blank and I forget most people. I just re-watched season 33(Millenials vs Gen X) and it was fun because all the names I remember and forgot they played in the same season together. It comes back to you but I agree, it’s crazy when you say a season and people remember a ton of names.
You think this is bad you should see r/bigbrother some of them will watch nothing but the house feeds whenever they are on.
Same for me. I’m a superfan for sure, but I only remember up to 8 people from each cast.
You are not the only one! I am amazed at how people can quote seasons and players. I can barely remember people who get voted off early in a season and have no memory of past seasons at all.
SAME and it makes me feel guilty lol like I’m a fraud 😂
I keep the live survivor channel on paramount plus on as background noise when I’m not watching anything else and I am able to catch things on this reddit I didn’t before even tho I have seen every episode before too!! Highly recommend ☺️
Same!
I get in fights with my wife all the time about how I can’t remember anything and I use survivor as my example “that’s not true!!! I fucking love survivor and watched every episode minimum 2 times and I would fail every trivia” hell I haven’t applied for the show for that reason “Super fan!” Fails at trivia or puzzle on the history